What Comes in the Night Without a Soul
by My5tic-Lali
Summary: Nitu never wanted to be a Keybearer. But when a new threat rises to threaten the worlds, and the Masters who had defeated Xehanort all those years ago choose him and his brother, it doesn't look like he's got a choice. And anyway, it's not like these "Lost Souls" can touch him in the Land of Departure, with all the Masters there to protect them, right?/future-fic, AU
1. Chapter 1

**What Comes in the Night Without a Soul**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

Nitu wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve this.

All he'd wanted to do was get through school, finish this stupid apprenticeship, and take care of his younger brother. Nothing else mattered. He didn't have dreams of being a hero, like Toran did, or of reaching far beyond his station, like his mother had held. Nitu wasn't looking for anything unrealistic. He just wanted to be left alone, to stay out of trouble, and keep Toran safe. He _avoided_ trouble. He kept his head down and did what he was told. He ignored the bullies and they ignored him. He didn't stick his nose where it didn't belong. He didn't break the recently-created curfew. He didn't talk about revenge for the few people who had died, like the kids in his class had. Nitu kept his head down. Nitu did what he was told.

So why, _why_ , was it that _he_ was the one who was going to die because of the Heartless? What kind of karma punished for keeping your head down and doing nothing to annoy anyone?

Nitu thought all this in that split-second before the Heartless's claws descended onto him to tear his heart out, his little brother screaming in the background. He didn't have regrets going through his mind, only a hope that Toran would be smart enough to run for help so the village headman would use the transmission jewel and call a Keybearer to help, and not try to stay and save Nitu, and the disgruntled thought that he didn't deserve this.

Then, there was a flash of silver.

A _clang_ , and the black creature flew backwards, knocked away by slash from a blade… a blade made of silver and gold, with teeth in the outline of a crown—a Keyblade. Its wielder would already have been taller than Nitu, but as he had fallen back when the Heartless came for him, the Keybearer looked even taller, brown hair in spikes sticking up all over his head, armor glinting on his left shoulder.

"Nitu!" Toran yelled, in the moment after the Heartless had been deflected and before the Keymaster turned around.

Without having to look, Nitu threw out an arm and stopped his brother's headfirst lunge, unwilling to let him get close to the monsters, but Toran just hugged his arm, burying his face in the worn sleeve.

Then, the Keybearer turned, a wide smile on his face, his blue eyes finding Nitu's dark ones with a sparkle and a surge of inexplicable calmness. His expression said there was nothing to worry about, even though the Heartless were gathering closer behind him. "You guys just wait here a second, alright? I'll take care of these things and get you back home." His voice was smooth and reassuring, calm and capable. Nitu nodded dully, still uncomprehending what was going on. Toran had lifted his head to meet the Keybearer's eyes too, his own still wet with tears and fear, but Nitu felt him freeze when he saw the warrior.

Then, there was movement. It was hard to keep track of, because the Keybearer was so fast that he rarely seemed to touch the ground. The Heartless stood no chance; they moved to attack only to have the silver Keyblade spear them. Clangs and slashes and blurs were really the only things Nitu could understand from the battle. His brain was still trying to catch up to the fact that he wasn't dead, that Toran was next to him, watching awestruck, that this was even happening in the first place. Heartless, in the middle of the town. Heartless, attacking _him_.

 _A Keybearer, right there in front of him._

Toran had recovered quickly from Nitu's near-miss with death though, and he began shaking with excitement, jumping up and down and hissing under his breath to Nitu, "Th-that's _him_ , that's a Keybearer, Nitu, Nitu, look, look—it's a Keybearer, the one who's in all the stories, he's the one who sealed the Keyhole! Master Sora, the headsman said, he's the one who saved the worlds! Look!"

"I see him, Tor," Nitu responded, subconsciously. He was too busy watching the fight to really register it. Master Sora was swifter than the wind, his blade singing through the air like it weighed nothing. The man moved like he didn't give a thought to the rest of the world, like he never placed a foot wrong or wondered what could go wrong—this Master Sora was sure, confident, a better fighter than anyone Nitu had ever seen.

And then it was over. The last Heartless had dissipated in a spray of black matter, yellow eyes flicking into nothingness. Master Sora came to a halt, glinting Keyblade raised, eyes wary but mouth still in a half-grin.

Toran was vibrating still, so excited to see one of the Keybearers he prattled on and on about becoming one day, but Nitu was suddenly aware that the other villagers had stopped fleeing and stood by to watch too. Master Sora let his blade fall, and then it disappeared in rings of light that spread from the tip to the handle, and he turned back to Nitu and Toran and the others, smile still fixed. "M-Master Sora!" Toran nearly squealed, and the man's grin grew.

He stepped closer, and held out a hand to help Nitu to his feet. "Glad I got here when I did!" Master Sora quipped, blue eyes locking with Nitu's again. It was like he was searching for something in them, like he was examining Nitu from the inside out. "Th-thanks," Nitu made his tongue work.

"Least I could do," Sora replied, gesturing to the town. "Especially since no one's come by to get rid of that infestation yet. I promise, me and Master Ventus are here today to send the rest of these Heartless packing for good." The last sentence was partially addressed to the small crowd around them, most of whom nodded in numb agreement and hope.

Still almost jumping with excitement, Toran stepped forward and burst out, "You're the Keybearer!"

Master Sora grinned at him. "One of many," he said, and stooped down to eye level to look at Toran as well. It seemed to Nitu that Toran was being examined just as he had been. "I'm Master Sora. Nice to meet'cha." He held out his hand to the suddenly-nervous Toran, who looked like he might explode. Not only was he meeting a Keybearer, it was one who treated him like a grownup and not a brat. It made Nitu's respect for this Sora guy rise. Most people in the town brushed Toran off as idealistic and too excitable, but Sora kneeled down to meet his gaze and looked at him like an equal and not a baby. Even though he was growing what seemed like daily, Toran was still small for a nine-year-old, Nitu knew.

"I'm Toran!" Nitu's brother shook Sora's hand with a vigor that would have pulled off most people's fingers. "And my big brother is Nitu! You saved him, with your Keyblade!"

Sora kept smiling. How did one smile for so long, Nitu wondered, without it seeming strained? "Lucky I came here when I did, I guess."

"When I grow up, I wanna be just like you!" Toran kept babbling, and Nitu grit his teeth. It was one thing to never stop talking about becoming a Keybearer to _Nitu_. It was one thing to babble this to every person they knew. It was an entirely different thing to talk to a Master about it—what would this guy think? Would he dash Toran's hopes once and for all? "I wanna be strong and brave and protect people and travel the stars and, and…" the words were so familiar to Nitu—Toran said it at least once a day. It was all his brother could think about. He didn't want to study for school, didn't want to try to learn to be a tailor like their mother had been, didn't want to think of anything but the stories passed around at night by the headsman and the adults. To be a Keybearer... Nitu never had the heart to tell him it was never going to happen.

But something in Sora's eyes had changed. The Master quirked an eyebrow, and his grin shifted to something nostalgic, something fond. "I was the same as you, when I was younger." Though he had no way of truly knowing, Nitu got the impression that Sora was weighing something in his mind.

"Where do you guys live?" Sora switched tracks suddenly. "Why are you out here without your parents?"

Toran's face fell slightly, and Nitu set his jaw. "Our mother died, recently." He couldn't bring himself to say that his father was a jerk who hadn't even showed up for her funeral, not in front of Toran, who still believed their dad was a trader and they couldn't reach him.

Sora's expression fell too. "I'm sorry to hear that. Are you living by yourselves?"

"Nitu takes care of me!" Toran bragged, smile back, "We live by the town hall, and I go to school, and he helps the Hansons with tailoring, until Dad comes back!"

He was sure that Sora noticed how Nitu clenched his fists with the mention of his dad, but the Master said nothing. "Sounds like fun," Sora said, and Toran kicked at the sand. "School's boring, though."

"Ah," Sora grinned again, "I thought that too. But you know what changed my mind?"

Toran stepped forward with an eager smile. "Huh?" If Sora gave him a reason to like school, no matter how tiny, Toran would cling to it like gospel, Nitu knew. This would get Toran to endure class for another year at least.

Sora gestured at the town around them—the other people in the street were still trying not to watch their interaction too obviously and failing—then at Nitu and Toran themselves. "I learned that all of the worlds, and everything in them, is all connected. Everything from the long lists of words you gotta know, to all the names for animals, to the numbers, all make our worlds the way they are. Without all those little pieces working together…" Sora mimed an explosion sound, making Toran giggle. "Everything falls apart."

Toran stuck out his tongue as he thought about it, screwing up his eyes like he was fond of doing when he wanted to look like he was a big kid. "I don't get it." He said finally.

Sora laughed. "That's okay. I didn't either."

Another grin lit Toran's face. Nitu was about to suggest they leave so Sora could get to whatever Keybearer business he undoubtedly had to take care of, when his brother blurt out, "Could you show me your Keyblade again?" His eyes flashed with envy, and hope. Nitu hurried to put a hand on his shoulder, tell him that they couldn't bother the guy any further, but Sora furrowed his brows in thought. "You know, I might be able to do that…" Nitu and Toran looked at him at the same time; Toran with glee, Nitu in shock. "But only if you let me take you guys home." Sora finished, and Toran actually leaped with joy.

"Uh-huh!" He stopped though, and glanced at Nitu. "Can he, please?"

Nitu blinked at him, glancing at Sora, who mirrored Toran's pleading expression with laughter in his eyes.

"Uh, y-yeah?"

Toran and Sora cheered together, and Nitu had the sudden overwhelming thought that they were the same age.

Sora stood, having been kneeling this whole time to be eye-to-eye with Toran, and looked at the boy in deference. "I don't actually know how to get anywhere in this town, think you could show me the way?"

Toran looked delighted at the chance. Immediately, he started skipping off in the direction of the town hall, glancing up often at the Keybearer in awe and eagerness, babbling about this and that—Nitu was used to letting his brother's meandering words slide through him without having to pay attention to the conversation, and he just followed them.

He examined Sora while they walked. The Master was very careful to always look at Toran in the face, and never showed anything close to contempt or allowed himself to be condescending towards the kid, no matter that his sentences were choppy and frequently interspersed with mispronounced words and he could barely keep himself on one topic for more than a minute. He looked… honestly intrigued by Nitu's brother. Not annoyed. Not faking it so as to make Toran feel better. Sora was either the best actor Nitu'd ever met, or he actually _was_ that genuine and caring. It wasn't something Nitu was used to seeing in adults. It wasn't something Nitu ever expected to see in a _Keybearer_. They were like the worlds' police, as far as Nitu was concerned, and he'd always expected them to be uptight and strict and far too busy to take notice of mere citizens like Nitu or Toran.

Sora was nothing like that. Not only was he not stuffy or old or stuck-up, he had a bright grin and moved not with authority, but with ease. He seemed totally comfortable in the town, among the dust and dirt and garbage, and though he had the Keybearer symbol on his chest and armor on one of his shoulders, he wasn't wearing any other uniform. He looked… normal. Natural. Like any other young man from the town, albeit stronger and more optimistic. Nitu couldn't wrap his head around it.

And though he'd said he didn't know where the town hall was, Sora never wavered in his stride, keeping up with Toran's skipping steps easily, unsurprised by any turn they made or any view they came upon. Nitu suspected that he'd said he didn't know where they were just to get Toran to lead the way, and that he actually knew at least the basic layout of the town.

This analysis of the Keymaster distracted Nitu all the way until they reached the dingy front door of the only home Nitu'd ever known. Then, he realized that he hadn't cleaned either of the rooms in months, and it probably was as dirty as one would expect when the only occupants were a teenager and a nine-year-old.

Nitu slammed to a stop at the door, inserting himself in front of them before Toran could fling the door open. "Thank you," he mumbled, holding his brother back with one hand and the other on the doorknob, "for taking us back, and for getting rid of those monsters. I'm sure you've got Keybearer business to attend to, so, uh—"

Toran pouted immediately. "Nituu!" Then he turned to Sora. "You don't have to go, do you? I want to see your Keyblade again!"

Sora grinned at him. "That's all right. I'll show you out here, okay? I actually should get back to Ven and tell him the Heartless are cleared out…"

Nitu's brother began pouting again—Nitu knew he'd always dreamed of meeting a Keybearer. He was sure Toran wanted Sora to stay for as long as humanly possible—but before he could start complaining again, Nitu felt Toran shiver. It was the kind that shook his whole body, visibly, and suddenly, Toran's frown disappeared, sliding right off his face. His eyes had glossed over, staring off in space, over Sora's shoulder—a fixed, slightly fearful stare. Nitu's stomach clenched.

"Tor," he began, hoping to snap his brother out of it before Sora noticed, but the Master was already turning, eyes going to the same spot as Toran's. Though Nitu saw nothing but empty air and street, for one second, he swore that Sora was looking at the same thing Toran was.

The white things.

Toran had gone so long without seeing one. Nitu had hoped these flashes were gone altogether. Whenever it happened at school or in public, Nitu inevitably was visited by some concerned parent, or schoolteacher, asking how Toran was doing without their mother, without a father, whether he was eating regularly. The questions seemed like they accused Nitu of not treating his brother well enough.

But honestly, this had been going on for years. Their mother, Kara, when she'd been alive, had been with Toran almost all the time, and she had been good at deflecting suspicion. But Nitu, at work most of the day, couldn't cover for his brother when Toran glazed over, eyes fixed on nothing. If no one snapped him out of it, the kid could spend minutes with his eyes roving the room, following shadows that weren't there—or, rather, they weren't shadows. When he'd asked, Toran had told Nitu that they weren't _shadows_. The things he saw… were white. Pure white. They had arms and legs and a head but no features, and they were fuzzy around the edges—or so Toran said. No one else had ever seen anything. The one psychiatrist their mom had taken Toran too said it was a sign of overactive imagination, and would go away with time.

They hadn't.

Nitu couldn't help the moment of panic when Toran froze up. He had tried his hardest to get his brother to understand that whenever he saw one of the… things, he needed to not let people know. It was hard enough convincing people that he and Toran didn't need to go to the group home without the social worker realizing his brother saw things that weren't there. Would Sora tell someone? Nitu couldn't lose Toran. They couldn't go to the group home. It was the one thing Nitu could _never_ let happen.

But the Master turned back to Nitu and Toran. His gaze did not linger where Toran's was, and his brows had furrowed. He looked much more serious suddenly. Nitu had to repress a swell of fear. Sora looked like an authority figure when his grin wasn't lighting his eyes up.

"Tor," Nitu said again, and his brother started. He hoped his glare was enough to remind Toran that they weren't supposed to tell anyone about the white things. Whatever they were. If they even existed. But unfortunately, Toran shook his head, eyes wide and face distressed. "This one's bigger, Nitu!"

Nitu locked his jaw and shook his own head. "Toran," he said, trying to remind his brother of the many discussions they'd had about the white things. Toran needed to understand that no one else could know what he saw. "Didn't you want Master Sora to show you his Keyblade?" _Distract him_ , Nitu thought desperately. _Before he decides Toran is insane._

Toran wouldn't be distracted though. "Nitu," he began, voice thin and reedy with a whine, but before either of them could speak, Sora bent down again to meet Toran's eye.

His gaze was steady, not carefree. "Hey, Toran. I seem to remember you telling me you'd made a sword out of wood to practice with. Think you could show me? Maybe I can show you some pointers."

This, in contrast, _was_ enough to get Toran to forget about the white thing. He nodded so fast Nitu worried he'd get whiplash, and dashed into the house, closing the door before Sora could see the mess inside.

Nitu knew what was coming when Sora stood back up and locked eyes with him.

"He's not crazy." As soon as he could get the words out, he did.

Sora blinked at him, caught off guard. He opened his mouth, but Nitu continued.

"Look, I know it's weird, but he just sees these things sometimes, it's just his imagination. He eats fine, and I can totally take care of him. There's nothing _wrong_ with him." Though he couldn't keep his hands from shaking, Nitu refused to back down. He was _not_ losing his brother. They wouldn't take him.

"I wasn't going to say there was." Sora preempted more excuses with an upraised hand. "That's not what I was thinking. I know he's fine, and I'm sure you take good care of him." Nitu waited for the "but."

"I was _going_ to ask," the Master leaned in just a bit, "How long has he been seeing the white things?"

Nitu froze for a long second. _How did Sora know about the white things?_

"Wh-what?"

"How long has he been seeing them for?" Sora repeated. "Where does he see them?"

Nitu let out a breath. He didn't sound concerned for Toran's mental health. He didn't seem like he was going to report them for not being able to take care of themselves.

"Uh," he began, wracking his brains, relief stripping him of thought. "As long as I can remember. It doesn't happen often, but… Mostly around here. Here, or his school." Nitu gestured at the schoolhouse, a block down the street.

Sora looked contemplative. He said nothing for a long moment, then asked, voice low, "Have you ever seen anything?"

He couldn't keep his gaze on Sora's. "I…" It wasn't that he didn't believe Toran, because he did, but there was a part of him that said Toran was a child and was prone to over-imagination. "No."

With a nod, Sora glanced over his shoulder again, at the same spot Toran had been looking. When he locked eyes with Nitu again, though, his face was even more serious. "You hesitated. Have there been any times that stick out to you? Special occasions when he saw them? Or you did?"

It wasn't something he liked to think about. Wasn't something he'd ever admitted to anyone, even himself.

But here finally was an adult who didn't think Toran was insane after learning that he saw _things_ on a regular basis.

Nitu dragged his courage up and said, "The night my mom died." He couldn't keep eye contact, so he glanced at his shoes. They were dirty. Kara would've been appalled that he hadn't bought new ones when the soles started wearing thin a month ago. "I… I haven't told anyone. But we were here, and she was sick. Her fever was bad, and all we could do was stay with her through the night. The doctors said she'd either make it through the night or die."

He took a deep breath. "It was late. I was half-asleep, but Toran was still awake and froze, eyes locked on the corner. I couldn't see anything, but he said there was one there. A white thing. Waiting. Hovering. I told him to go back to sleep. He did, but after that I couldn't relax." He remembers the endless night like it was yesterday. They couldn't keep the lights on past ten, so there was just a flickering candle or two to light the room. Kara had been coughing intermittently, and every time she did it was a ray of hope for Nitu. "Just… just about when I realized she'd grown too still, I felt that shiver up your spine you get when someone's just behind you, you know? I couldn't see anyone, but I could _feel_ someone there."

Sora's eyes were sad. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Nitu shook his head. Platitudes didn't do anything for him anymore. She was gone, and that was that. It didn't stop him gasping awake in the night, dreaming that he'd felt the same presence, but only it was at Toran's bedside and not his mom's.

But Sora also looked contemplative. He looked like he was going to say something, but just at that second, Toran burst back out, waving his silly wooden sword in the air. They'd bought the materials from the carpenter back before Kara had died. Toran was obsessed with playing with it.

The seriousness in Sora's gaze was wiped away in an instant. "Wow, how cool! Can you show me what moves you know?"

Toran nodded, enthusiastically, having completely forgotten about the white thing, glancing once at Nitu to share his triumph.

Nitu stayed on the porch while Toran and Sora took turns swinging the sword around, and though Sora's moves with his Keyblade had seemed like dances, perfect and practiced and smooth, once he got the sword in his hand he turned into a kid, swinging it like a baseball bat and playing like Toran always did.

They held a mock-battle in the street for a while, Sora with his Keyblade and Toran with his too-big, unwieldy toy. All Nitu could think was that Toran would be so bummed when Sora left, and Nitu would have to try to get him to understand, once again, that being a Keybearer was just a dream, a fantasy. Toran was going to have to learn, eventually, that you couldn't just _become_ a Keybearer. No one did. Sure, the Keybearers _had_ a school, but it wasn't like you could send in an application and receive a reply. Nitu thought it as more of an elite club.

And Toran couldn't place hope that one of the Masters would somehow choose him to join them. It just wasn't rational. Realistic. Toran didn't understand that.

Nitu did.

The two were interrupted, however, when Sora froze, and his pocket started _glowing_. Nitu and Toran stared as Sora made a face like he'd been found out by a principal, and gave them a guilty look. "I totally forgot to check in with my friend."

They watched as Sora grabbed a jewel out of the pocket, maybe six centimeters long, glowing fuzzily green. Nitu didn't have time to do more than blink before Sora held the jewel up in front of him, slid a finger along the side, and said, "Sorry, Ven."

A voice issued out of the jewel with a sigh. It was so clear that someone might have been standing right next to them. "Sora, how many times do I have to tell you we _have_ to actually check in with each other if we split up?" The voice sounded kinda similar to Sora's, actually, but a bit older, and a bit deeper.

"I got a little distracted saving people from Heartless?" Sora's face twisted, like he knew it was a lame excuse.

"Uh-huh." This "Ven" replied, and sighed again. It sounded to Nitu like he was actually relieved to hear that Sora was okay. "Listen, I'm all wrapped up out here, where are you?"

"By the Keyhole—the town hall," Sora gave Toran a grin. "I made some new friends."

There was a laugh out of the gem. "I'll have to come meet them."

The device stopped glowing, and Sora tucked it back in his pocket. He seemed unaware that both Toran and Nitu were staring at him in utter amazement.

"Ven'll be here soon, but until then," Sora leaned down in front of Toran, "Can you show me your _special move?_ " Toran looked thrilled that Sora had asked. Nitu had watched Toran practice this weird, made-up spin/slice for hours until the kid had fallen over, too dizzy to stand. But before long, Ven showed up and interrupted them.

Nitu had expected him to come walking down the street, like a normal person, but was instead thoroughly scared out of his mind when there was a rustle above him, and a figure dropped off the roof and landed right next to him. Nitu jumped, just as Sora called out "Ven!" in greeting.

Ven was just the same height as Sora, with lighter, but no less spiky, hair. His outfit looked more foreign than Sora's, but only because of the glimpses of armor under his black and white jacket, and the bracer on his left hand. Though he looked more like a Keyblade Master than Sora, it didn't stop him from breaking into a grin as wide as Sora's when he saw Toran's gaping mouth. Two Keybearers in one day. It was going to be the only thing Toran talked about for the next _year_.

"Hey," Ven replied, glancing at Nitu too, with a nod of greeting, and humor in his eyes. "I'm Ventus," he stuck his hand out to shake. Nitu did, still getting over the shock of his sudden appearance. "Nitu."

Toran rushed over, eyes wide and smile lighting his face, to say hi to the other Master too. "I'm Toran!" He almost yelled, excitedly bouncing in place.

Ven kneeled down to meet his eyes, grinning, and said, "Good to meet'cha." Toran beamed.

Sora walked closer, and, his smile not abating but his voice more serious, "I took care of the Heartless here."

Standing, Ven nodded. "And I found the ones in the north mill. We should be good."

Nitu's stomach sank. This meant they were going. Toran hadn't realized yet that the Keybearers couldn't stay, and he still looked thrilled, eyes going back and forth between the two warriors in front of him.

But Sora was looking hesitant. "One thing," he mumbled, glancing at Nitu and Toran. When Ven raised an eyebrow, he shrugged and said, "I think there's one thing we need to do."

Ven frowned slightly.

Another glance at him and Toran, and Nitu stood up straighter. "Toran, let's go inside for a second," he said, and ignored his brother's slump.

Sora nodded a thanks, and he dragged Toran inside, saying, "Just a second, Tor, we'll come back out in a minute, yeah?"

But once the door was closed and Toran went to mope in the other room, Nitu stuck by the window and listened. He should've felt bad for listening in, but he didn't really care at this point. He'd just been attacked by Heartless, for Kingdom Hearts' sake. He deserved a break. Listening in on _one_ conversation wouldn't bring bad karma. Right?

The first couple words, he couldn't make out. It was Sora's voice, but he couldn't string together the sentence.

"…he sees…it happened again…I don't think they're safe—"

Ven's voice was louder than Sora's, but not quite audible still. "We can't… you know what Yen Sid would say."

"I don't think we should wait!" Sora shot back, and his voice was slightly angry. "I'm getting worried, Ven."

There was a sigh. The voices were clearer. Maybe they'd moved closer to the window. "I agree, but you can't just up and _choose two new successors_ like this." Nitu's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what a successor was, but it certainly sounded like…

"Do you think Toran and Nitu _aren't_ worthy of Keyblades?"

…like something that would change his and Toran's lives.

There was a pause. "I'm not saying don't choose them—"

"I don't think we should wait."

Another sigh.

Just when Nitu thought they weren't going to say anything else, or they'd moved far enough away that he couldn't hear them, Ven said, "Fine."

Toran ran out of patience, running back into the room, as Ven spoke, and Nitu turned back to him. "Hold up, Tor," but his brother was already out of the door, and Nitu rolled his eyes. He followed him, out into the sunlight, but it seemed that Toran had been distracted.

Nitu saw why a second later.

Sora and Ven stood together, on the edge of the porch where daylight glowed, both Keyblades summoned. They looked intimidating, suddenly. Like real Keybearers.

But Sora then shattered the illusion with a smile and asked, oblivious to Toran's gaping mouth, "How would you guys like to come and learn how to be Keybearers with us?"

* * *

 **A/N:** oh my gosh you guys i haven't been this stressed about posting a fic in forever gah  
so this is my baby! WCITNWAS is the byproduct of too little sleep, NaNoWriMo last year, an angsty dream, and playing waaay too much Kingdom Hearts, and over the past year I've been writing more and more of it, and now i'm finally ready to start posting! I've got the first three chapters almost done, and an outline to follow for the rest, but i still don't know how long it'll end up, or how long it'll take to finish.

This is set approx 11 years after KHIII, which is of course not out yet and I have no idea how it will end, but I am going to ignore all ominous signs and all bad possible outcomes, and pretend everybody lives through Xehanort's plot. There won't be much about the games-era in this fic, as it only takes place years afterwards, but there's lots of headcanons about what follows Xehanort's defeat.

The basics:  
Sora and co. freed Terra, saved Aqua+Ven, and after defeating Xehanort, opened a school for Keybearers with all the current Keywielders as teachers, under Yen Sid's leadership. Eleven years have passed since they opened it. They continue to patrol the various worlds, defeating Heartless (who did not disappear with Xehanort) and keeping the peace. They are generally adored and admired, and many kids wish to be chosen for a Keyblade when they grow up. But a new threat just might be rising...

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Yes, okay, an OC-centered fic. there will be lots of OCs here, but let me tell you, the KH crew features _really_ prominently, Sora especially, but they'll all get their due-Lea too! I don't have many plans for Disney characters, but Mickey will be mentioned at least. I never really thought I'd be writing anything with lots of OCs, but this just happened... and I really like it. I hope you all do too.

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Thank you so SO much for reading, and _please_ drop a review if you enjoyed! I really do need encouragement to keep going, especially given that this is the most involved multi-chapter I've ever tried writing.

come talk to me on tumblr, under the URL literally-in-too-many-fandoms _,_ for lots of Kingdom Hearts III hype.  
If you've got questions about this fic, you can message me or ask me on there! I'd LOVE to talk about my plans for this and hint at what's to come.

this is also on Archive of Our Own, under My5tic_Lali.

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Chapter 2 is on its way, and depending on the response to this, could be up in a few days! Thanks again for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Apparently, it wasn't all that hard to enlist two orphaned kids in an off-world school when you were Keybearers who had saved the world multiple times.

Their social worker, a ferrety-looking woman named Gia, glared at Ven and Sora for a total of 0.3 seconds before realizing who they were and then became incredibly cooperative. It probably helped that the village headman accompanied them, and the Hansons—the tailors Nitu worked under—had no problem letting Nitu out of his apprenticeship when they saw the two Masters.

Toran had not stopped bouncing with joy since Sora's offer. He had accepted immediately, and it seemed that Nitu couldn't tell him otherwise. Everything was moving too fast for Nitu's liking, but the look in his brother's eyes—awe and eagerness and excitement—somehow made his reluctance irrelevant.

Sora had been overjoyed at Toran's immediate acceptance, and after cracking a giant grin, had gotten sucked into a long explanation about pretty much everything about being a Keybearer, as Toran went straight into question after question—everything from _what kind of clothes will we have to wear_ to _how much money does it pay_ to _how long until I'm a Keyblade Master_ —but Nitu didn't really pay attention to Sora's answers.

A Keybearer. The worlds' police, the saviors of Kingdom Hearts, the mythic figures who defeated darkness in a single strike. Toran talked about them all the time, talked about their powers and the legends that got passed around… but never once had Nitu really thought of them as people. In front of him, Sora laughed at something Toran said, loud enough that Gia, who was filling out some papers for them, shot them a glare, and Ventus idly smacked Sora on the back of the head without even looking up from the papers he was reading. Never once had Nitu thought Toran's ambitions would come to anything other than disappointment.

And yet here they were: two Keyblade Masters, not old and grizzled and angry, but full of energy and light. Offering Toran the only thing he'd ever wanted.

"Hey, Nitu," Ven had looked up from his readings, and noticed Nitu standing off to the side. "It occurs to me we didn't make sure that _you_ wanted this too."

For a second, Nitu flinched back from the question. It didn't matter if he wanted it or not. Kara's last order to Nitu had been to take care of Toran, and this was Toran's wildest dream come true. Of course he was okay with it.

But this also meant that _Nitu_ was going to go, off to this other world to learn. _Nitu_ would spar and cast magic and protect people. _Nitu_ … would be a Keybearer. Part of him—that naïve, childish part that Nitu had never been able to suppress—was thrilled. A hero. He could be a hero. And that half of him was awash with excitement at the thought, but the rest of him—the cynical, the realistic part of him, the one that he had held onto with white-knuckled hands since his mother died—shrunk. There was responsibility there, even more than what he had to deal with caring for Toran. There was pressure, to be better, to not make mistakes; and there was so much work. So much time spent for this demanding job, so much effort to protect and learn. Nitu was barely scraping by, even after he'd been let out of school to spend more time at his tailor apprenticeship. This was bound to take even more time, put even more pressure on him.

Ventus was still staring at him.

 _Did_ Nitu want to be a Keybearer? Toran's voice rose excitedly as he spoke with Sora, and when Nitu glanced over, he saw that he and Sora were sitting close together, eyes bright with the same light. His smile was wide, earnest, uncontainable. Toran rarely looked like that anymore, not after Kara.

"Yes."

It wasn't really a question.

"I do," Nitu looked back at Ventus, and met his eyes, unwavering. For Toran, it didn't matter. He wanted Toran to be happy. If this was what it took, then Nitu could deal with that. He was sure that it wouldn't be that bad, after all.

Smiling slightly, Ven nodded, and glanced back at his papers. "Then, I think we're all set to go."

This got Toran's attention, and he looked over. "We're going?"

"Yep!" Sora responded, standing, and stretching his arms over his head. "I… I think it might be best if you guys come with us as soon as possible."

Nitu thought back to the conversation he'd overheard between him and Ventus. Thought about the white things. Maybe the Masters thought they weren't safe here.

Nitu wasn't about to disagree, not when Toran leaped up too, and grabbed onto Nitu's arm to excitedly shake his older brother. "We get to go, Nitu, we're gonna go today!"

"Yeah, looks like it," Nitu didn't look at him, too busy watching the town headsman and Gia look over the papers one last time, the glances that they sent toward the two Masters amazed, barely even registering Toran or Nitu. Nitu guessed that the story would go around the village that the two orphans had so kindly been adopted by the Keymasters, and they were sacrificing their time to teach those two kids. The Hansons would quickly replace him with another hopeful apprentice. Toran's few friends at school would miss him, but continue on. Life on Likai never changed, it seemed, no matter the tragedy.

But he flinched at the realization that no one would visit his mother's grave anymore.

"You can come back," Sora seemed to notice his sudden downcast look, and clapped a hand to Nitu's shoulder. "Anytime. One of the Masters would have to take you, but you can definitely come back here."

Nitu blinked up at him, then nodded, and tried to smile back at the Master. Still, he felt… wrong.

"Could…"

Sora and Ventus looked over at him, and Nitu felt his throat close up on the words, but made himself swallow and continue, anyway. "Could we stop by somewhere first?"

Toran looked up at him, curiously, and grabbed Nitu's hand.

* * *

The gravestone was cheap, and in the corner of the cemetery, because Nitu had needed to micro-manage the little savings that remained after Kara's treatment, and couldn't spend more on her funeral. But it had her name, and Toran (without Nitu's permission) had carved a rough heart in the center.

Sora and Ven had let them go in, seeming to understand that they needed the moment, but Toran kept looking back at them, even as he kept holding Nitu's hand, even as he followed his brother into the bright, empty rows of gravestones. Tor had never liked visiting here, Nitu knew—not that Nitu himself enjoyed it that much, but he knew that this was important.

Pulling his hand from Toran's, Nitu brushed the dirt off the top of the stone, and then ruffled Tor's hair. "You don't have to stay, Tor." His brother looked up at him, but Nitu cut him off before he could speak. "I just wanted to say goodbye, so you can go grab your stuff from the house, okay? I'll be there in a minute."

There was a wrinkle in between Toran's eyebrows, but he nodded, and went back toward the gate, and the Masters. And then there was just silence, and Nitu.

He didn't think that his mother could actually hear him, nothing as cheesy and hopeful as that—but he did know that Kara would have been terribly disappointed in him if he didn't at least mark this occasion, if he didn't at least remind himself why he was doing this.

Coming here always seemed to do that. Remind him why he worked for hours at the Hansons, why he stopped studying to work more, why he would _never_ let Gia take Toran to the group home. Because here, looking at the heart Toran had so painstakingly carved, Nitu was reminded of how Kara would always sweep Toran up into her arms no matter how tired she was whenever she picked him up from school, how Kara always _knew_ when Nitu was in a bad mood and would grab him a new book from the library without him needing to ask.

Being here always reminded him of that last day, when she'd drawn Nitu close to whisper, through a pained grimace, "Promise me you'll take care of Toran." Reminded him of when Nitu nodded, and waited all night there, holding her hand, until she stilled.

At least she'd be proud of him, for making Toran's dream come true.

Nitu let his fingers slip off the gravestone, and headed back toward the gate where Ventus waited for him, Sora likely having left with Tor.

 _We'll be back, Mom._

* * *

Outside the town, far enough away that no one could see, Ven and Sora stopped, and summoned their Keyblades. "So in order to take you guys to the Land of Departure, where the school is, we're going to have to use a portal, okay?" Sora locked eyes with both of them; Toran, bouncing with excitement, and Nitu, weighed down by both his and Toran's bags, seeing as his brother couldn't hold still and kept dropping his own. Toran nodded eagerly, and clapped his hands together to watch as the two Masters exchanged a quick look, then a flash overtook all of them, and when it faded, Toran let out a gasp.

Their Keyblades had changed—no longer blades at all—and expanded into what Nitu could only describe as vehicles. Ventus', still black and red with white stripes, seemed to have become a hovering skateboard, only larger, more circular. And Sora's was still a gleaming silver and gold, only now a streamlined bike, something that hummed with magic energy and hovered too, above the ground by mere inches.

"These are Keyblade Gliders," Ven began, but Toran overrode him. "Can all Keyblades do that?"

Ven barely had to blink before grinning once again at him and replying, "Eventually! It takes a while to get used to, but—"

"So I'll be able to do that?" Toran interrupted again, and Nitu nudged him. His brother looked askance for a second, but just turned his attention back to the Masters when they laughed.

"Everybody loves the Gliders," Sora said, and Ven nodded. "Yes, Toran, you and Nitu will both eventually be able to summon Gliders."

"Wow!" Toran stepped closer to Ven's Glider, eyes roving it hungrily. Ventus extended a hand to him, and Tor took it eagerly, and the Master helped him up onto the platform. It barely seemed to waver at all at Toran's weight, and though the handlebars that Ventus rested his hands on were too tall for Tor to reach, Ventus showed him how to slide his feet into little divots on the board to hold them in place, and even after that, he still put a hand on Toran's shoulder to keep him in place. Then, Toran grinned at Nitu, barely containing himself from bouncing with excitement. Nitu grinned back, and stepped over to Sora when the Master gestured for him to.

"We're going into the Lanes Between," Ventus explained as Nitu carefully swung a leg over the side of Sora's Glider and sat on the cool, humming metal. "They're the pathways between the worlds, as you might have heard."

"Unfortunately," Sora added as he effortlessly settled onto the seat behind Nitu, "the Lanes are spaces where darkness looms closer than usual, so usually, we'll equip armor in order to protect us." Toran lapped up every word, eyes still excited, even at the mention of darkness.

"But with you guys with us, we'll just be using magic to ward it off," Ven said, his Glider humming a little louder as he made it rise higher off the ground. Though Nitu's stomach swooped just watching his brother leave the ground, Toran laughed with the thrill. "It'll be a short trip," Ven assured them.

Another flash of magic came without warning from Ventus' Glider, and it spread out in front of them, becoming a strange spehere that seemed to have been ripped into being. With a jaunty wave, Ventus squeezed the handlebar he was still holding, and his Glider sped into the sphere, Toran letting loose a wild yell as Nitu's heart leapt into his throat. "Toran!"

But his brother and the Master had disappeared, swallowed by the lightning-rimmed portal, and Sora put a comforting hand on Nitu's shoulder. "They're okay, I promise. The Lanes Between are as safe as it is here, as long as Ven's with him."

Nitu nodded, unconvinced, and suddenly he felt fear.

Sora directed the Glider to rise, and though Nitu tried to stop himself, he couldn't contain the jerk of surprise and the way his knuckles whitened on the handholds as the ground dropped away. Noticing immediately, Sora let the Glider sink back down a little. He didn't say anything, even though Nitu's face was burning. "I'll go slow," Sora promised, and Nitu made his tense muscles relax. "If it'll help, close your eyes until we're on the other side. It's just gonna be a short trip."

Nitu bit his lip, but nodded. He didn't want to, but when the Glider rose again, slower this time, and they approached the crackling magic portal, he squeezed his eyes shut subconsciously.

They passed through the face of the portal as though diving into a pool of water, only Nitu remained dry, and on the other side, he only felt the tight, burning air like they'd stepped into a rarely-used closet. Another second, another sizzle of magic, during which Nitu's eyes remained screwed shut no matter how much he tried to convince himself to open them, and Nitu heard the crackle of another portal.

They passed through this portal with the same sizzle of magic as when they had entered the other, air meeting Nitu's face as Sora brought his Glider to a gentle stop. Nitu opened his eyes into bright sunlight, as Sora made sure that his Glider was stable for Nitu to step off, which he did gratefully. Sora let his Glider and armor disappear, but Nitu wasn't watching him—because his eyes had adjusted to the harsh sunlight and suddenly Nitu could see the Land of Departure.

The sky was blue, he thought first, so blue and clear that it looked like a painting, stretching above him and the others in the perfect curve, all the way across the skyline. It made the world seem bigger, made the air seem fuller. They were standing outside of a gilded, golden gate, on what appeared to be a bridge, with stark marble railings bordering the grassy path. Over the side, Nitu could see mist—a swirling, white fog that undulated slowly and mysteriously far below them, obscuring the earth below. Out of the fog rose a multitude of hills, craggy and green, with bridges made of marble connecting them all. There seemed to be few buildings on the nearby hills, mostly grassy plains and the white stones of pathways, but here and there Nitu saw rivers—from the heights of the hills tumbling down in fuzzy waterfalls into pools that then wound their way off the edges of the bridges and down into the mists.

But then he saw the castle, and his breath caught in his throat.

It was the size of the entire main street that Nitu had grown up on— _no, bigger_ , he thought, _and taller than any building I've ever seen on Likai_ —five towers made of whitewashed stone or maybe marble, if the way it shone was any indication. The largest tower, the biggest part of the castle, rose up from the widest hill and into the sky, held there seemingly by giant, golden chains that connected to four other, taller hills that framed it. And from this main tower, four others extended, two on each side. But these towers weren't set on the hill itself, no, they branched off from the main castle and hung out in air, over the mists. Everything was gold and white and perfect, too smooth and polished and magical to be real and yet… Nitu took a deep breath of fresh, sweet-smelling air, reached out and put a trembling hand on the railing to his side. It was real. It was tangible, was beyond anything he'd ever imagined.

"WOW!" Toran yelled, and Nitu flinched, but his brother wasn't looking at him. Toran's blue eyes were impossibly wide, his gaze flying from the mountains to the waterfalls to the mists to the castle to the sky, taking in everything, and Nitu didn't think he'd seen his brother this happy since before… Before Kara had died.

Nitu found himself smiling in reaction to Toran's expression.

"Welcome to the Land of Departure!" Sora said, startling Nitu out of his thoughts, and his grin seemed to understand everything that was going through his head—amazement, confusion, shock. "Your new home, if you choose to stay."

Ventus, who still had his Keyblade summoned, raised it briefly to point at the gate that sat right in front of them, which was covered in a blue haze, a pattern of glowing lines that seemed to hum, hovering over the gate. A burst of light from the black Blade, and the magic covering the gate disappeared, leaving it pure white and shining back at them. Pushing it open, Ven gestured at the hills and sky and let them in, saying, "Safest place in all the worlds, as far as we know. You'll be joining, what," he glanced at Sora for confirmation, "twenty? Twenty other young Keyblade apprentices in training."

The gate swung shut behind them, and Ven re-summoned the honeycomb-like barrier, which spread from the gate into the sky and even disappeared below them into the mists.

The air almost seemed brighter on the inside of the gate, the grass even greener. Nitu found himself so enraptured by the graceful arcs of the walls and gates that marked the bridges from hill to hill that he missed the low hum coming from above until Toran gasped and said, pointing, "Nitu, lookit!"

Nitu did, up into the sky where Toran's finger indicated three glinting Gliders. These looked different than Sora's or Ven's had, and the figures on them seemed smaller, younger.

"Master Ven! Master Sora!" came an unfamiliar, youthful voice, slightly reedy to Nitu's ears. The other two figures just waved as they circled and sped by, but the figure who had spoken slowed down and came to a stop ahead of them, his small, thin Glider disappearing to reveal a silver-haired youth with long arms and the air of one who knew a lot. He dipped into a short bow to the two Masters, but when he popped back up, his red eyes went straight to Nitu and Toran—friendly enough, but Nitu recognized the superior look in his face: teacher's pet. He was at least three years older than Nitu, and seemed relaxed, at home, here. Ven strode over and clapped a hand to the youth's shoulder.

"Tim, meet Nitu and Toran, from Likai," Ven said, and the silver-haired youth stepped over, extending a formal hand to first Nitu, then Toran.

"Timerus Valerius, pleasure to meet you." He said, and Nitu nodded as he took his hand. "Nitu," but Toran overran him. "Are you an apprentice? You can fly on your Glider? How long have you lived here?"

Timerus blinked for a second at Toran, evidently caught off guard by his earnestness, but he quickly collected himself. "I'm a journeyman, actually, and yes I studied hard and am the second-best—" Tim broke off, suddenly, his breath catching, and a brief look of pain crossed his face, "I'm… fairly good with my Glider." Behind him, Ven glanced over the bridge edge.

"Wow," Toran said, looking like he'd met a celebrity, but all Nitu saw was an eager-to-please youth who cleared his throat before Tor could get another question out and asked, "You two here to see the Land of Departure? Didn't your parents want to visit, too, before they agreed to let you come?"

Sora hurriedly stepped over before Nitu or Toran could reply. "They're here to stay, Tim."

Timerus glanced at him, confused, but Toran piped up, "Do you fight monsters, Tim? Have you seen a Heartless? I did, they almost hurt Nitu! Can you use magic? What's the best spell?"

Nitu hid a snicker as Timerus' expression changed to near-panic—the same way most everyone reacted to Tor when he got on a roll. He glanced back out at the world around him. Now that he was on the inside of the gate, Nitu could see several vague figures dotting the hills and bridges, plus the other two who had been with Timerus were still zooming through the cloudless sky. _Idyllic_ , Nitu thought.

"Come on, Nitu, Tor," Sora said, subtly cutting in when Toran stopped to take a breath, "We should go meet the other Masters, and Tim should get back to his extra Glider practice."

Toran looked briefly disappointed, but quickly got his grin back as Timerus bid them both goodbye and Ven and Sora led the way further down the bridge. It took them to another hill, wrapped around it, then continued on toward another hill. Toran kept the air full of his lively questions, and Sora and Ven traded off answering him. Nitu just watched, took in the sky and the cliffs and the mists below. It couldn't quite sink in that they were going to live _here_ , in the sun in the midst of marble and grass and pure waterfalls.

At the next cliff, they passed a group of five apprentices by one of the many pools dotting the landscape. The youths greeted Ven and Sora with enthusiastic yells, their smiles wide and their faces free of grime. What a difference from the school kids on Likai, Nitu thought.

There was another group sparring on a circular platform after the pools, a group of three students and a teacher—a Master who, without skipping a beat as he locked blades with a green-haired youth, said, "Hey, Sora," and seamlessly shoved the apprentice back to jump over his head to face Sora and Ven. "How was patrol?" The man's teal eyes came to rest on Nitu and Toran, and he asked "Potential apprentices?"

There was a yell behind him as the apprentice charged back for the Master, but he didn't even turn his head to look. "Yup," Sora said, on their behalf, as Toran gaped at the sprinting apprentice. "Nitu, Toran, meet Master Riku."

He was tall, taller than Ven or Sora by at least a head, with short, silver hair, with the same kind of armor on his shoulder as the other Masters. Riku smiled slightly at the two of them, making the deep, white scar that crossed his cheek stand out. "Pleasure," he said, before he spun on the spot to clash Keyblades twice with the apprentice, the second one forcing the kid to stumble back with its speed.

From behind them, one of the other apprentices seated on the wall booed. "C'mon, Jet, he used that move last round!" The kid was dark haired and just as sweaty as Jet, and had probably just finished a round with the Master as well.

"Shut up, Dante!" Jet yelled back, reengaging Riku with a scowl, and Toran gasped when sparks flew from their Blades' meeting point.

Ven shook his head in amusement, but led the way onward. "Have fun, Riku."

"See ya," Riku called back, easily dodging more rapid strikes from the apprentice. Nitu followed the Masters as they continued toward the castle, but had to drag Toran after them—his eyes didn't leave the sparring match until it was out of sight. Then, Nitu's brother took in a breath, and his eyes went to Nitu's, full of excitement and energy. Without him having to say anything, Nitu knew what he was thinking: _I'll get to do that someday!_ Toran was practically vibrating with excitement.

They reached the base of the castle soon after. Even the ground here was marble, white and gold with swooping lines that seemed both timeless and ancient. The towers seemed even bigger from here, Nitu thought, craning his head back to look up at the stained-glass window that sat above the giant door. The golden chains that connected the tower to the other hills stretched overhead, and a couple kids sat in their shade, talking with carefree smiles. But the Masters just kept going, up the slick marble steps, greeting the kids they passed—who all looked at Toran and Nitu with curious eyes but didn't make efforts to greet them.

They stepped inside the tall doors, entering a cool atrium with staircases rising on both sides, circling up toward a second level that rose ahead of them; as Nitu glanced up, he could see the light from the stained glass window spreading above them, onto the second floor, from where there were various yells and grunts and shuffling feet echoing down to them. Sora headed straight for the closest staircase leading there, and Ven motioned for them to follow. "I think Sora plans to talk to Master Yen Sid real quick, so we'll go up with him." Toran nodded eagerly, and skipped up the steps after him.

There was another group practicing in this room, which was bright and spacious even with the raised dais at the end of the room, which supported eight unadorned chairs and one with a higher back. The three apprentices were moving through what seemed to be forms, with a teacher calling out steps for the rest to follow.

"Is _that_ Grand Master Yen Sid?" Toran tugged at Nitu's sleeve, and pointed to the man leading the drills. Nitu hadn't paid him much attention, but now that he looked, a small shiver ran down his back.

The Master was even taller than Riku, almost a bear of a man with muscles that showed through his white coat. The man's hair was brown and spiky, long enough to reach his shoulders with strange streaks of silver at his temples. But he didn't look old enough to be graying, not by the grace of his movements, not by the lack of wrinkles on his stern face. He looked intimidating, to put it mildly, his voice just loud enough to be authoritative and his expression piercing.

"Oh," Sora answered Toran's question, surprised for half a moment before he broke into a grin. "Not even."

As he spoke, the older Master looked over at them, and a small smile interrupted the frown between his eyebrows. "You guys are back."

"Terra," Ventus replied, grinning himself, and they slapped each other on the back. "How're the kids doing?"

"We're not kids!" One of the girls responded, pouting, and Ven, laughing, ruffled her hair. She was probably no older than Toran, but still likely the youngest there. "Of course you're not, Jaya, I was just joking," Ven responded.

Terra grinned at her too, and said, "They're getting better every day, especially Jaya." The white haired girl smiled at him, showing off one missing tooth, before she caught sight of Nitu and Toran. After a second of blinking her large, violet eyes at them, Jaya giggled and waved, then scampered off to rejoin the group, holding a thin, wooden facsimile Keyblade in her hand.

After watching her go, Terra looked back at the other Masters, and his gaze landed on Nitu and Toran. "Hey," he said, and though there was no scorn in the man's blue eyes, Nitu flinched slightly, because… He blinked, and looked closer at Terra's face. It hadn't been his imagination—there was a golden ring around both of Terra's irises, and though that should have made Nitu hesitate, the color was faded, somehow, like a scar of an old battle or a lingering taint of something, and Terra still met his gaze frankly, solidly. "I'm Master Terra. Are you guys here to join us?"

"Yes!" Toran yelled before Nitu could reply, and he only looked more excited by the man's strange eyes, "I'm Toran! And this is my big brother, Nitu! We're gonna be Keybearers, and save worlds—Master Sora said so!"

Terra laughed, and it sounded real, if a little bemused. He exchanged a look with Sora, and then knelt down to ruffle Toran's hair. "I'm sure you will, buddy."

When he stood back up, Terra extended a hand to Nitu, who took it, somewhat surprised by the rough callouses on his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Nitu," Terra said, and Nitu nodded quickly, still a little taken aback.

Toran turned back to watching the apprentices practicing their moves with awe, even as Sora gave them a short wave and disappeared into a door behind the thrones on the other side of the room, and even when overhead came three long bell tolls, Toran kept watching.

The apprentices let out a sigh of relief as the bell rang out, and they dropped their weapons—all but Master Terra had wooden Keyblades, and these didn't disappear, apparently.

"Good work, you guys," Terra said, and gestured for the stairs. "You guys can go, no history class today." The littlest, Jaya, gave a little cheer at his words, and then skipped off down the stairs with the other two close behind.

The brown-haired Master came closer, as though to talk to Ventus, but at that moment, the door behind the chairs reopened to reveal Sora, and a man who could only be the Grand Master that Sora had mentioned.

The man was tall—even taller than Terra, clad in a blue robe and a matching hat that only acerbated his overwhelming height, with a long silver beard and eyes that pierced the room. His face was drawn into a slight glare, but he didn't seem angry, even as he gestured Terra and Ventus over to him and held a short meeting with the three Masters. When he finished speaking—his tone too low to make out even in the echoey room—the others nodded, and while Sora came back to stand near them, Terra and Ven both headed down the staircase, and the Grand Master stood by the chair with the highest back as though waiting.

"It's time to give you guys your Keyblades," Sora told them, and when Toran jumped up with excitement, Sora held up a hand. "We're going to call in the other Masters, and the apprentices, and have what's called the Choosing Ceremony."

Nitu stiffened slightly. That sounded rather… formal. In front of _all_ the other apprentices?

Sora noticed him, and waved his hand. "It's nothing really. We'll call you up to the podium real quick, and say a few words. It'll be over in five minutes, tops." His smile did slightly ease the nerves Nitu felt, but wasn't enough to banish them as four bell tolls rang out above them, and Sora stood up, gesturing for them to join him over at the side. At the front of the room, the Grand Master stood motionless as the sound of footsteps and various conversations drifted up the stairs.

Master Terra and Ven were first, talking easily as they joined Sora on the side of the room, but shortly after came apprentices. Some of the ones Nitu'd seen outside the castle, and Timerus, the journeyman, who walked with two others about his age who also had armor on their shoulders that was similar to the Masters'. Jet and Dante, the ones who had been sparring Riku, came in, still squabbling about something, and slowly the room filled. Three more Masters joined them near the front of the room—Riku, who stood near a red-haired Master whose violet eyes were friendly when she waved to Toran, and one with blue hair, who stood next to Terra.

As soon as the last person trickled up the stairs and joined the throng—the apprentices did seem to be in lines, with Timerus and the other journeymen near the front right, and the others arranged in some order they all seemed to know. Jaya, the young girl with white hair, was the last one in the rows—the Grand Master stepped forward, and whatever whispers still passed among the apprentices disappeared into strict attention.

"As many of you may have seen, we have two new apprentices to grant Keyblades to," the old man addressed them all, and though a few of them sent glances toward Nitu and Toran, most of the apprentices remained frozen. "And it is time for the Choosing Ceremony.

"Master Sora, if you would," at Yen Sid's words, Sora turned and moved easily up toward him, seemingly unphased by the quiet and the attention of all the apprentices.

Nitu was first. He didn't know why, but when Sora stepped up on the podium in front of the Masters' chairs, he beckoned Nitu up first. Nitu tried not to trip as he made his way up the marble steps, feeling every eye on him. It was like they were all waiting for him to mess up. When Nitu got up to the podium, Sora winked at him and whispered "This thing used to be a lot less intimidating, but Grand Master Yen Sid reinstated this whole ceremony thing when we opened the school. I prefer the old way too."

Then they both turned to the old, graybearded Master, and Nitu felt himself examined by the inscrutable gaze of the magician. He hadn't noticed it in the entrance hall, but no matter the wrinkles (of which there were many) in the man's face, no amount of age could smother the wisdom and unspeakable knowledge contained in his eyes. Yen Sid was tall, even taller when he loomed over Nitu like he did now, and the hat fixed on his head did nothing to diminish the height. Nitu didn't know what to expect. The man's face gave nothing away, said nothing besides deep, immeasurable calm and intelligence.

Yen Sid took a breath, and began what sounded like a rehearsed line. "Keybearers have guarded the worlds for time immemorial, granted power by the blades which seal and unlock and protect. It is now time to expand the ranks of these guardians."

His solemn eyes moved to Sora. "Master Sora, you have found potential in the young man before us. The only step remaining is to unlock the Blade waiting for Nitu." When Yen Sid looked back at Nitu, he couldn't help the thought that the old guy looked disapproving. It ramped up his already-frayed nerves.

Sora nodded, smile still fixed, and turned to Nitu. With a flash, his Keyblade, Kingdom Key, appeared in his hand. With a practiced flip, he turned it so the handle faced Nitu. The assembled audience hushed even more than they had been, which Nitu hadn't thought possible.

Then Sora began.

"In your hand, take this Key."

Nitu stretched out a slightly shaking hand to grasp the smooth, cold handle. Though it was cold and felt like nothing more than metal, Nitu could have sworn he felt something tingle inside him—a knowledge that this was no ordinary weapon. That magic was at work here.

"So long as you have the makings," Sora continued, eyes on his, unwavering, serious but empathetic, "Then through this simple act of taking, a wielder you shall one day be."

The feeling inside Nitu's chest grew. It was an expectation, he thought, but then revised it. The rush in his veins… it was more of a release, an opened door.

"…And let the power it contains convince you of your own." Sora finished, the last phrase quiet, meant only for Nitu's ears.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, magic blasted through him, pushing the air out of his lungs in an explosive rush, the feeling overwhelming. A warmth spread in the center of his heart, and Nitu felt his nerves abate with no real cause.

Nitu made his fingers unclench from Sora's Keyblade, and shivered. Now that he had let go, he realized Kingdom Key actually had been warm—unnaturally so. Comfortingly so.

Sora nodded to him, and Nitu took it as his cue to leave the stage, which he did with no small amount of relief. If he imagined it, Nitu could still feel the steady feeling of the Keyblade in his hand.

Just as Nitu sat heavily next to his brother, Sora gestured for Toran to come up. Toran jumped up, his excitement overbearing and evident from his skipping walk and too-wide smile. Master Sora ruffled his hair once Toran joined him.

The Grand Master didn't crack a smile at Toran's antics, but he certainly looked less intimidating from further away. "Keybearers have guarded the worlds for time immemorial, granted power by the blades which seal and unlock and protect. It is now time to expand the ranks of these guardians." Yen Sid paused, repeating the same formalities he'd used for Nitu. "Master Sora, you have found potential in the young man before us. The only step remaining is to unlock the Blade waiting for Toran." Sora nodded gravely, then looked back down at Toran. He made sure to kneel down in front of him so he could look him in the eye.

"In your hand, take this Key." Toran nodded eagerly and held up his hand to do so, even before the blade reappeared in Sora's hand. A snicker ran through the assembled apprentices, quickly stifled, but Nitu took reassurance from the fact that they actually could laugh. "So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, a wielder you shall one day be."

Toran's eyes were bigger than Nitu had ever seen them, the blue orbs fixed not on Sora but on the weapon extended to him.

And though the words were lower, just as Sora's final statement to him had been, Nitu still made out the words.

"…And let it grant you the future you long for, that the light inside you would only grow too."

Toran closed his eyes as the same feeling Nitu still felt the aftereffects of embraced him.

After Sora ushered Toran off of the podium, Yen Sid rose once more and addressed the students. "I hope you will all welcome our two new Keybearers warmly. You have all been working diligently, and the other Masters and I are very impressed with your progress—May you all continue to improve. With that concluded, you are all released."

The apprentices rushed, almost as one, toward the staircases, whispers immediately breaking out among them all. A few of the Masters joined them, walking easily among the kids, talking with them, but Sora, Yen Sid, and the red-haired Master stayed.

For a second, the Grand Master grabbed Sora by the arm and said a few, solemn words too low for Nitu to make out, but whatever it was made Sora's face lose its carefree smile, and the Master nodded in return, replying quickly and just as low, before bounding over to Nitu and Toran. "Congrats!" Sora told them both, ruffling Toran's hair and giving Nitu a wide grin. "You made it. You're officially Keybearers!"

"Yes!" Toran pumped the air, and then grabbed Nitu's arm to shake it eagerly. "Nitu, we're Keybearers!"

Nitu couldn't help his grin at Toran's wild satisfaction. It was all his brother had wanted for so long. And here he was, with that dream finally realized.

"This is Master Kairi," Sora waved at the red-haired Master, who smiled softly and made her way over to them. Her grin widened at Toran, and her violet eyes twinkled with the same light as Sora's. "She's gonna show you around, okay?"

Kairi met Nitu's eyes with the same smile, and said, "I'm gonna take you both to get settled in the dorms, okay? We gotta get you introduced to some of the other kids, too." She stood back up, having knelt down next to Toran to meet his eyes, and gestured toward the staircase.

Toran glanced hesitantly back at Sora, but the Master grinned, and shook his head, "I'll see you guys tomorrow morning. I've just gotta do some Master business, and then have a meeting with the other Masters. You guys get to do the fun stuff, and meet the others!"

For a second, Nitu thought Toran was going to protest. But then he just clenched his fists, and gave Sora a nod, and managed a grin at Sora's smile. The brown-haired Master gave them both one last look, then turned and went toward the opposite staircase.

Kairi gestured once again with a soft smile, and Nitu nudged Toran into following. "I'm glad you guys are here! We've been hoping for new apprentices for a while now." Her smile remained steady as they walked, down the staircase to the right of the stained glass window, and she led the way down the marble steps toward the other tower.

...

* * *

 **A/N:** heeyyyyy guys guess who's back with more of this AU? yep, it's me, instead of working on anything productive

i've gotta work a lot on chapter 3 before it's ready but after that, chapter 4 is all ready, so... we'll see

I am starting the school year in a few weeks so i might be out of contact soon enough

.

Thank you guys all for reading! I've got a lot of plans for this fic... :)

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please come yell at me on tumblr, under literally-in-too-many-fandoms! i'd love to talk to you guys

also posted on Archive of Our Own, under My5tic_Lali!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The dorms were in the furthest west of the buildings, at least five levels of rooms, all the same size. Kairi told him and Toran that journeymen—the oldest apprentices, the ones above apprentice but still below Master—were given rooms on the first floor, closest to the rest of the castle. After that first level though, there was no regard given to rank, and it seemed that Toran would only be up one staircase from the journeymen.

Toran's roommate, Dewa, seemed like an okay kid. He was a couple years older than Toran, with shaggy blond hair and serious eyebrows, but he seemed to like Nitu's younger brother, even as he was quickly caught up in Toran's ceaseless questions. He seemed patient. That would be essential to survive Toran for more than five minutes.

But when Kairi moved to lead Nitu further into the dorms, Toran stopped his interrogation of Dewa and turned with wide eyes. "You're not staying with me?" He evidently hadn't been listening when Kairi had said they were sleeping in separate dorms.

Kairi quickly moved back to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and stopping him before Toran could let his lip do more than wobble. "He's only going to be one floor up from you, okay? And you can visit him every single day. You're just going to be sleeping in different rooms. I promise, you and Nitu will still spend plenty of time together."

When he didn't look convinced, and Nitu could see that he was this close to giving into his pouty face, Nitu stepped forward and ruffled his hair. "I promise too, Tor. Look, the staircase is right there, and I'm the first room on the right. Like twenty steps away."

Toran stopped pouting, just a bit, but Nitu still saw hesitancy in his eyes. They'd never not slept in the same room—as far as Toran remembered, they'd only ever lived in a two-room house—and Toran didn't look like he particularly was open to this new arrangement. All this change was exciting, but Nitu had known that there would be a point Toran drew the line—and Nitu didn't want it to be here. "Do you know what being on the second floor means, Tor?" Nitu tried a different approach.

His brother's eyebrows furrowed, and he hesitantly shook his head. "It means that you're the second layer of defense for the rest of us." Nitu dropped his voice like it was a conspiracy, "Anyone who wants to get to the upper levels has to go through you, yeah? And that means you have to be on the alert to let me know if anything's coming, right?"

Toran's eyes lit up—back at home, he and Nitu would play at being "on alert" and taking watches at night (decreasing the amount of time Nitu could sleep but providing Toran with a much-needed purpose and excuse to play Keybearer)—and he grinned. "I can do that!" Toran claimed, "I'm really good at alert!"

"Yeah you are," Nitu agreed, conveniently forgetting all the times Toran had fallen asleep five minutes into his 'watch.' "So I'm just gonna be a couple steps away, and you have to be on alert and let me know if anything's coming."

Toran nodded, earnestly, and said, "I won't let any more Heartless get near you, Nitu!"

The words brought Nitu up short, and he heard Kairi's quick intake of breath. It occurred to him that she didn't know the circumstances of Nitu and Toran's election to Keyblades—maybe it was normal for students to be chosen after being saved from Heartless attacks, but Nitu doubted it was so. She probably hadn't known that they'd been attacked, just this morning. Nitu was having a hard time accepting it himself.

"T-thanks, Tor." Nitu shook himself, and gave Toran a little push back into his room. "Now, go get Dewa to tell you all about lessons and his Keyblade, and I'll see you later."

Toran nodded again, and turned back to reengage the dark-eyed Dewa, and as Nitu stood back up and turned to let Kairi lead him up the stairs, he heard Toran's questions begin—all questions that Nitu would have had no answer to, but Dewa's surprisingly even voice answered easily, as he and Kairi walked to the staircase.

"Are you going to be okay with Toran staying down here?"

Nitu looked over and saw her violet eyes peering directly at him. Although she was just as old as Sora, her face was round and youthful, and she didn't look at him like one of his teachers would. She seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. _Just like all the other Masters, she's not condescending…_

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just checking," was her only answer, and Kairi's perceptive gaze moved back to the stairs. She switched subjects, "Most of the apprentices on this floor are older, around your age. Chi, Ne-Jun, Jet, and Ani will be your floormates. And your room…" They rounded the corner, coming to a hallway just like the two other floors below them, almost identical to the halls of the other wings they'd passed through on the way here. Kairi pointed to the first door on the right. "Is right here."

Kairi knocked on the door with soft but insistent taps, and Nitu couldn't help the small swooping feeling of expectation when the door swung open quickly.

The guy on the other side of it was nothing like Nitu had expected. Not incredibly athletic, like that Master Riku, not eager and enthusiastic like Sora, not oozing strength like Terra, but instead slim, blond with a slight hint of silver in his hair, with eyes the color of deep water, which briefly scanned Nitu before focusing on Kairi. There was the air of deference in the way he looked at her, at his swift dip of head as though in a bow. "Master Kairi."

She smiled at him, and gestured between the two of them. "Nitu, meet Shuay. Shuay, this is Nitu. Your new roommate!"

Maybe Nitu imagined it, but when Shuay's eyes came back to rest on him, he thought he saw a flash of derision in their depths. But Shuay just inclined his head, and extended a hand to shake, "Pleasure." Beyond him, in the room, Nitu caught sight of books piled upon an otherwise empty bed, and another bed which was perfectly arranged. Shuay hadn't decorated his room much in comparison to Dewa's room; Nitu could only see a few touches besides the books and bed that showed that it belonged to someone.

Nitu took Shuay's hand, and shook, surprised at the strength of his new roommate's grip.

"I know you may be disappointed to lose your single room, Shuay," Kairi was saying, "But we'll be relying on you to show Nitu the ropes. And, Nitu, consider Shuay your stand-in teacher," she gave a small, bright laugh, "He'll answer any questions you might have outside of classes."

"Okay," Nitu replied, as Shuay nodded, his mouth in a small smile that seemed too placid to be genuine. "I will do my best, Master Kairi."

She smiled at him, and brushed some of her short hair out of her face, "Then I'll leave you guys to get to know each other. Nitu, you're free to do whatever you want tonight, but tomorrow morning, you'll be meeting with Sora to start off your training."

"Okay," Nitu said, and then hastily added as she moved to walk away, "Thank you."

Kairi stopped for just a moment to smile at him. "That's what I'm here for. Have a good night!"

"Good night, Master," Shuay called after her, and then stepped aside to usher Nitu into their room. Hesitantly, Nitu did so, scanning Shuay's face for any sign of the derision he'd thought he'd seen there earlier. But his expression was unreadable as Kairi's footsteps tapped away, and Nitu entered, shrugging the pack off his shoulder.

"I'll get these out of the way," Shuay said, his voice more clipped than when he'd spoken to Master Kairi—the tone wasn't angry, per se, just void of major emotion—and he piled up the books that were on the empty bed and moved them to the desk that was set next to the window. Nitu gave a cursory glance over the bed, which was already equipped with two blankets—his own, patched as they were, probably weren't necessary. Outside the open window, Nitu could see the courtyard in front of the castle, and thankfully, not much of the faraway mists.

"So, uh—" Nitu began, but when he turned, he found that Shuay had settled back onto his own bed, with another book in his hands. "Did you have a question about the school?" Shuay asked, without looking up from the page he was reading.

"I… No, but—"

"About something else?"

 _What world did this guy come from, that common courtesy includes not looking at anyone but a Master?_ Nitu felt his shoulders tightening, the unsettled feeling that had knocked into him when the Masters had offered him and Toran apprenticeship coming back full force. "I was wondering, uh, how long you've been learning here."

"Seven years and five months, approximately."

Shuay didn't seem inclined to go on, so Nitu glanced out the window, and sighed, "That's… nice." Shuay hummed noncommittally in response. Inwardly cursing, Nitu glanced around the room again. A bookshelf on either wall, both beds close to the door and neatly made, even with Shuay languishing on his. It seemed so clean, so unfamiliar to everything Nitu had grown up with. And suddenly, without one of the Masters there to reassure him with a grin or an encouraging word, Nitu felt the events of the last day slam into him. He didn't even have Toran there to distract him, because Toran was getting to know his new roommate, because his brother was settling in. Nitu felt his head spin, just slightly, and shook the thoughts away. He steeled himself and looked back at Shuay.

"Do you mind if I—"

"Listen," Shuay started to talk almost at the same time, looking up at him with emotionless blue eyes, and ploughing on through Nitu's words.

"I know you're new here, but let me tell you just one thing that will make our relationship much easier." There was the hint of ice in his gaze. "Things are pretty easy around here, when you start. The Masters will make it easy for you, so you don't have to worry about getting started. As long as you don't slack off, there's no reason you won't be fine. However, the further you go, the more intense your training gets.

"For example, after years of study, we get the opportunity to test for journeyman, which is the prerequisite to ever becoming Master. Now, I have no intention of leaving this school with anything less than a Mastery, and will not allow anything to hurt my chances to pass the journeyman test. _I_ have to study and practice, and don't have time to play _babysitter_ for a new kid. So, don't interrupt my studying, and I will leave you alone too. It's a simple arrangement, and if you can avoid that, then we'll get along fine."

And promptly, Shuay looked back at his book, clearly dismissing Nitu.

Nitu fumed for one second, too taken aback to retort. The air was thick with Shuay's implicit contempt. Mentally, Nitu added it to his list of cons: too-clean, responsibility, and the worst roommate ever. He'd honestly prefer to room with Toran than this guy. The blond sure didn't look like he was going to offer help or answers willingly, no matter what Kairi said, not with how intent he seemed on the page of what Nitu could only assume was a spellbook, if the sigils and pretentious-sounding name was anything to go by.

Nitu repressed a sigh as he shrugged his pack onto the bed. Honestly, this room was already a lot bigger than Nitu had expected, even sharing it with someone, and plusher than anywhere he'd lived before. It was a pro, if a grudging one.

He didn't have that much to unpack, in all reality, just his few pairs of clothes and the few odds and ends he felt the slightest bit of sentimentality for. His mom's charm was of course still around his neck, but the carvings his dad had supposedly made and their grandpa's stack of letters (he'd never touched them, but his mom had wanted to keep them, so he did) were among his clothes. He'd planned that the keepsakes were going to stay there in his pack, and be tucked into a drawer, but he happened to glance at Shuay's side of the room and saw the keepsakes were on the shelves—books, baubles, three pictures of indistinct figures—and put his instead on his as-yet empty bookshelf. It made it look like it belonged to someone.

His brief flash of self-satisfaction subsided when he realized that was it; all he owned. His own clothes, and relics of people dead and gone.

Then, out of nowhere, Nitu thought of the warm feeling of magic in his chest. The elusive heat of magic still resided there, inexplicable but steady and comforting, and Nitu realized he had a Keyblade too—if that whole ceremony had worked, that was. It cheered him slightly anyway.

There was a rhythmic tapping at the door, and Nitu barely had time to turn before it flew open, and Shuay groaned.

In the doorway stood a lithe girl around Nitu's age, her brown eyes sparkling, hair flyaway, and a grin to rival Sora's on her face.

"Shua-ay!" The girl called, paying little attention to Nitu, "They called another meeting; we gotta go if we're gonna hear anything!"

"You're not supposed to come in here, Chi!" Shuay complained, to which the girl rolled her eyes—and her gaze found Nitu's. Her face lit up again.

"May I come in?" she asked, and Nitu blinked back, at a loss. She was already in the room, but… "Yeah?" he said just as Shuay yelped, "Wait, no—"

But Chi took Nitu's acceptance and grinned triumphantly back at Shuay. "It's his room too now! Now, come on, let's go, before Lea shows up!"

" _Master_ Lea," Shuay corrected, but he'd put his book down, "is always at least 25 minutes late. We'd have to be turtles to get there after him."

Chi brushed her bangs out of her eyes, and gestured at the door. "Oh, come on! I don't wanna miss anything."

"Sure," Shuay replied, and like he didn't care, added, "It's not that big of a deal, Chi." Nitu saw that he grabbed his shoes rather fast, however.

"You know it is, stop trying to look cool in front of the new kid," Chi shot back, flippantly, and when Shuay looked at her askance, grinned at Nitu instead. "I'm Chi," she said, holding out her hand. Though her skin was dark, everything about her attitude and words was bright—her smile perhaps too wide, her eyes alight, and her energy as uncontrollable as Toran's.

He took it, nodding back. "Nitu."

"You wanna come eavesdrop on the Masters with us?" Chi asked.

Before Nitu could even get over his surprise and figure out the ramifications, Shuay finished lacing his shoes and brushed past him, snidely interrupting whatever response Nitu might have had.

"He couldn't keep up."

And suddenly it didn't matter whether or not he thought it was a good idea.

"Yeah, I can." Nitu stood, the movement drawing Shuay's attention. He didn't look away from his roommate's challenging, derisive stare. There was no way he was backing down from such a direct challenge. It didn't matter what he had to do to spy on the Masters; Nitu would do it, and prove to Shuay that he wasn't useless.

Shuay met his gaze without flinching, eyes cold and calculating. They gave nothing away over whether he gave Nitu's claim any weight.

"Yay!" Chi interrupted their stare-down with a cheer, and tugged on Shuay's arm to get him to move. "Then let's go, before Master Lea really does beat us there!"

Shuay finally broke eye contact with a disinterested "Fine."

They were almost out the door when Shuay threw out an arm and stopped Nitu. "If you can't keep up with us, we're leaving you behind."

Nitu glared at him. "And if _I'm_ faster than you, Chi and I will do the same to you."

He had kind of let his mouth run, and a second after he said it, he wondered if he'd misjudged the girl. If she was close friends with Shuay—but his fears were unfounded. Chi heard his response and burst out laughing. "Oh, I _like_ him, Shuay."

The blond rolled his eyes in exasperation at Chi, but removed his arm and the three moved off, back into the echoey hallway made of white marble.

They were going away from all the other apprentices—towards the fourth floor. Chi was leading the way, brown hair flying behind her, past the doors and the two other apprentices visible inside. Kairi had said that only the first three floors of the westernmost wing were occupied, and the other two levels were storage, so Nitu couldn't figure out where Chi was going. The Masters certainly didn't meet in a stuffed, musty attic room of the apprentices' hall… or so he supposed.

The fourth floor had the feeling of a rarely-used hideaway, like the place you'd choose for hide-n-seek, or one of those corners in his town where Nitu would always find the teenage couples sneaking off late at night. "All the doors are locked," Chi said, unprompted, as Nitu looked around him. "Nothing but dust and broken things the apprentices of old left behind." She said "apprentices of old" like it was a separate era, like it referred to another world.

"Then where…" Nitu found himself unable to finish his question as they rounded the stairs into the fifth floor. This hallway was the kind of hushed found in cemeteries, and the door blocking it off creaked like a tortured cat as Chi pushed it impatiently open. Nitu could see these rooms really hadn't been touched in years, and the musty smell of abandonment hung lower than cobwebs.

Shuay turned his nose at the smell but dragged the door shut behind them, and once the squealing died away, it was eerily quiet.

Chi moved to the only door that looked like it'd been used in the last century: opposite the staircase, cracked slightly open and the doorknob free of dust.

The floor was dotted with little patches where the dust had been disturbed, footprints of others who had ventured up here too, but it still felt like a forbidden place. Shuay and Chi walked here like it was no big deal, but Nitu felt out of place, like someone was going to get them in trouble at any moment. He suddenly realized that they probably weren't allowed to be up here, and that they probably weren't supposed to listen in on a Masters' meeting anyway—he probably should've thought this through more. But Shuay had challenged him, and Nitu shook away doubts. He would show that pretentious know-it-all that he was just as capable as anyone else here.

Chi slid open the door at the end, which let a stream of sunlight into the hall—the window in this room was clean, though the boxes against the wall were still dusty and seemed to be a part of the room instead of occupying it, and Nitu realized belatedly that they were at the top of the tower. Chi opened the window as Shuay joined her, but Nitu stopped briefly at the door. She couldn't be thinking of… going out there, could she?

Beyond the two apprentices, Nitu could make out the outline of the next tower—the West Wing, Kairi had said, the one with most of the classrooms—but he knew that there was a drop still, between them. If they fell, they'd be lucky to hit the path between the two buildings. Otherwise… an endless drop to the surface below. Nitu shuddered.

Shuay, of course, picked up on Nitu's hesitation immediately, his blue eyes narrowing in suspicion, and maybe, Nitu thought, in superiority. "Too scared, or something?"

"No," Nitu said before he thought about it, and forced his legs to carry him over to the other two. Chi had opened the window all the way and was even leaning out a little bit, her hair blown by the slight breeze. She didn't seem to be paying attention to them.

"We're…" Nitu had to swallow—the drop looked even worse from here. The mists seemed to be leagues below, and the bridge between the wings seemed even skinnier from here, just a white band against the gray expanse of fog, and Nitu's stomach twisted. "We're not going across here, are we? How will we get over?"

The other boy's eyes were still narrowed suspiciously, but Shuay replied, "You remember how you got here, right? Those Keyblade Gliders?" At Nitu's nod, he finished, "Chi and I can both summon ours. We'll go across to the main castle from here. It's not far."

Nitu swallowed again. "And… you guys do this often?"

Chi shrugged, then stepped back. "Whenever there's a meeting that we know about." She smiled, then, with her hand straight out in front of her, summoned her Keyblade.

It appeared with this kind of whisper, a flash of yellow light. When it faded, in her hand lay a pink and gold blade, seemingly made of intertwining vines—or what looked like vines, but the more Nitu looked, the better he made it out. The handle, surrounded by a golden fingerguard, was circle that bled into the twisting vines of a shaft. He didn't think he could follow any one of the strands, but at the top they made the teeth, made of gold and rose spikes.

Chi had noticed Nitu's awestruck glance. She grinned at him. "This is Chosen Wind," she said, like it was a name, and Nitu glanced at her once before looking back at her weapon. It was beautiful, he thought, thin and complicated, but it suited her. To his right, Shuay rolled his eyes visibly, muttering, "Who was it that mentioned not showing off?" Chi ignored him.

Shuay summoned his with much less pizazz—one moment, he was still; the next, there was a crackle of electricity and a rapier-thin Keyblade was in his left hand. Switching his attention there, Nitu saw that his roommate's blade was much simpler, mostly blue through the shaft and handle, but with a keychain of a full moon dangling off the end, and teeth that looked like the legs of a star. "Midnight Blade," Chi stage-whispered to Nitu, who nodded.

Once again rolling his eyes, Shuay said, "You take him, Chi—you're the better rider." She nodded, but he was already walking, and to Nitu's surprise, carefully lifted himself onto the windowsill. Shuay turned, dangling his feet over the edge, sitting on the edge, and hesitated a moment. It might not have been hesitation—rather concentration, but it didn't really matter to Nitu—but then, with a flick, Shuay sent Midnight Blade spinning down, into the mists. Nitu started, thinking he'd just thrown his Keyblade away, what was that supposed to mean—but then Shuay, too, pushed himself off the edge, and Nitu's yell of surprise and fear was stopped only by Chi's surprisingly strong hand on his chest. "Wait," she said, and Nitu turned back to the window, just in time to see a dark blue blur speed back up, into the sky.

Nitu stepped forward, hesitantly, and was able to make out the figure of Shuay, as he leveled out on his dark Glider. His shaggy blonde hair was flapping around his head from the wind, but otherwise he looked just as unruffled as before, if a little cold.

"C'mon," Chi motioned, as though Nitu was supposed to believe pushing oneself off a window and landing onto a glider in midair was a normal occurrence.

"Uh," he responded eloquently, taking a step back before he could stop himself. Chi let a slow smile take her mouth, the expression a little different than the blasé one she'd worn before, and shook her head. "Don't worry, yeah? I'll get on mine, and you just have to step off the windowsill onto it. I'm actually the best rider in the school, besides Timerus, if you'll believe it. I've been training with the journeymen in it for like, a year."

He felt himself nodding, but Nitu still wasn't quite convinced of the safety of the whole situation. "Um, okay." He was competitive, not suicidal. He could probably retreat back into the dorms when she dropped off the edge.

But when Chi grinned again at him, tilting her Keyblade in a salute before she, too, let it fall out of the window, Nitu knew he couldn't leave. He wouldn't.

Chi stepped off of the windowsill as one might step down a staircase, and Nitu drew closer to the window against his will, head tilted up to see her before he had to face the mists. She rose into view, long hair flying just as she was, and her glinting eyes met Nitu's. "C'mon," she repeated.

And Nitu did.

Against his better judgement, yes, but he still went to the window and forced himself to sit on it and swing his legs over. He kept his eyes on the seat he was to take instead of the drop below. Carefully, hesitantly, Nitu set his feet on the easy step provided, feeling the Glider hum beneath him. It shifted, just slightly, under his weight, and Nitu rushed to grab onto the hand Chi extended to him. He wasn't quite sure how, but he got his leg over the other side, then, at Chi's quiet, "Hang on, I'll go slow," they began moving.

Nitu found himself hugging her, almost, and blushed at the close contact, but Chi didn't seem bothered by it, so he didn't let go, especially now that he could see the mists far below and nausea rose within his stomach.

Chi turned the Glider—it dipped slightly to the side, just as Sora's had when he turned his—and accelerated slowly into a curve that took them behind the West Wing's tower. Shuay was waiting, bouncing up and down as he hovered, but he turned and headed in the same direction as she and Nitu were, leading the way to the main castle.

There were windows on both the towers, so Chi kept them on an upward tilt, hopefully so no one would see them, and on the back side of the castle. The wind buffeted them this high up, but Chi held her Glider steady. It was… almost fun, Nitu realized, if he didn't think about how high up they were. Chi seemed a little slower, maybe, than Shuay, but that was probably only because of Nitu's added weight, and they were still going the same place. It did seem like the other two did this often, because they didn't need to communicate for direction or anything. It was almost surreal, to see the towers up close, to know that the ground was so far away. And though Nitu couldn't keep his heart from pounding in his chest, he could almost see the appeal to this. Almost.

Shuay made it to the main tower first, and Nitu saw him slow to a halt, next to what looked like a chimney. With a flash of light, Shuay's glider disappeared, and Nitu's roommate dropped the short distance remaining onto the wide pipe. It was technically big enough that he could fit, but even from this distance, Nitu could see Shuay's mouth twist in a grimace before he shimmied inside and dropped down into the blackness. "That's just a ventilation pipe," Chi shouted over the wind, "There's enough of a crawl space for us to lie down and see into the meeting room."

She brought them closer, and motioned for Nitu to step off the Glider onto the pipe. He did so gratefully, if only because the roof didn't waver under his feet like the Glider did. But still, his stomach clenched whenever he glanced down to see how far away the mists were below them.

The vent would have plenty of room for him to fit, but Nitu wasn't sure how far down a drop it was, given that the inside quickly faded into darkness, but Chi yelled at him to "hurry up, slowpoke!", and Nitu shook his head and released his grip on the pipe before he could convince himself not to.

The drop was mercifully swift, and Nitu landed with a surprisingly loud _thump_. Shuay glanced up at him sharply, reprimanding, but Nitu didn't seem to have interrupted anything, because he just looked back to the right and started crawling in that direction. Nitu cast one last glance up at the light of the sky outside, only to see it blocked out by the outline of Chi's head.

Hurriedly, Nitu ducked after Shuay, in time for Chi to alight as softly as a cat where Nitu had just set down. They crawled further and further, the vent at a slight downward incline which gradually leveled out just as another pinprick of light appeared. The tunnel had widened as they went, never gaining any height, but it was large enough near the screened opening down into the room that the three of them could settle down around the square opening and all peer into the Masters' meeting.

...

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 **A/N:** oh yes, I'm still writing this. never you fear. i'm not about to give up on this story. college is just kicking my butt, but what's new?

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So, chapter 4 is already done but i'm going to wait until next week sometime to publish it, both for suspense reasons and because I don't have time to edit it to my liking until then. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Thanks for reading! And Happy Holidays!

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come yell at me on tumblr, under the url literally-in-too-many-fandoms!

also posted on Archive of Our Own, under My5tic_Lali!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

They were arranged around a circular table, like some legendary council of knights discussing weighty business and proclaiming quests and saving princesses—or, they would have looked like that if Sora didn't have his feet up on the table, his chair leaning almost horizontally backwards, or if Aqua wasn't half-asleep on Terra's shoulder, or if Ven hadn't been sitting with his feet on the chair and his chin on his knees, like a kid waiting for a story (and Nitu would know, because Toran looked like that every time he wanted Nitu to read to him).

All in all, what should have been very intimidating was offset by the fact that none of the Masters were solemn faced (except Yen Sid, of course, but Nitu wasn't sure that Yen Sid _could_ look anything other than serious).

Though the circular space might have been meant to create equality for all the Masters, it was undeniable that Yen Sid's higher-backed chair meant authority. There were two empty seats, which Chi helpfully pointed out and whispered to Nitu, "That one's for Lea, who is always late to these things, and the other is for Mickey, though he doesn't come to any but the most serious meetings, because he's the king of Disney World." Nitu'd never heard of "Disney World", but he was suitably impressed that a King was one of the Masters.

What did surprise him, however, was that even when Yen Sid cleared his throat and drew the Masters' attention to him to begin the meeting, the levity didn't completely disappear. Aqua's head did come up from Terra's shoulder and she swiped a hand over her eyes, but there wasn't any change in her demeanor. Terra rubbed her back as she sat up, and flicked Ven to get him to pay attention. The blond Keywielder screwed up his face but he stopped joking with Sora and sat up.

"It appears Master Lea will not be joining us on time," Yen Sid said, and Sora and Ven snickered, " _again._ But we should begin our meeting regardless."

Chi grinned, and whispered, "Yen Sid always waits at least five minutes before starting without Lea, though Lea's _always_ late."

" _Grand Master_ Yen Sid," Shuay corrected, but without a lot of heat, since he was paying strict attention to the Masters.

The Masters nodded, and Yen Sid sighed, briefly. The moment of exhaustion was gone as quickly as it had come, however, and the old Keybearer sat up even straighter, his gaze strengthening. "Our first matter of business," Yen Sid began, and the Masters exchanged glances—Nitu couldn't be sure what expression they were wearing from this high up… surprise? No, it was anticipation, he thought—"Is Sora."

The offending Master removed his feet from the table faster than a lightning bolt. Riku and Ven turned in the same moment to stare straight at him, their faces hiding laughter. Nitu could remember Ven saying _You know what Yen Sid would say,_ when they'd been on Likai. Was this what Ven had been talking about? Nitu's insides shrunk.

Yen Sid let Sora sweat for a minute under the overbearing glare that seemed to burn even from Nitu's position by the rafters. He saw Master Kairi cover her mouth and cough suspiciously, but he thought there was a smile behind her hand.

Sora didn't look away from Yen Sid, but he'd frozen—face very carefully blank, but incredibly tense. Nitu could imagine that he was sweating. Chi and Shuay had stilled too, exchanging a glance Nitu couldn't read, and then peered closer at the group of Masters. They didn't seem overly worried, but Nitu still couldn't imagine any reprimand that started like Yen Sid's had that had a good ending.

"Sora."

"Yes, Grand Master?" It sounded like forced nonchalance.

"Do you happen to remember what our policy for new successors is?"

Sora finally looked away from Yen Sid's stare, and ran a hand through the spikes of his hair, which promptly sprung back to their places. "Something about… identifying them and bringing them here to train if their parental units are okay with it?"

Aqua suppressed a laugh, and Riku rolled his eyes. "I think you're missing a step," Terra said.

His head downcast, sounding like a kid called to the principal's office, Sora said, barely loud enough for Nitu to hear, "But first check with the other Masters to be sure they believe it's a good idea…"

One of Yen Sid's eyebrows raised, and he nodded, finishing Sora's thought pointedly. "And then give the potential wielders _time_ to consider the offer and whether or not they want to join."

A short silence fell, with Sora not looking up from the table, but Nitu saw something in his posture change after a second, and then the Keybearer pulled his head back up to meet Yen Sid's face. "I understood what I was doing when I brought them here."

Riku and Ven had stopped smiling; they must have realized Sora had replaced his _disobedient kid_ aura with one of _Master_. Nitu remembered how fast the man could switch between his serious side and the face he showed to everyone else, and how the very air seemed to drop a few degrees whenever he did.

With a nod of acceptance, Yen Sid spread his hands, waiting for the extrapolation of his statement.

Sora took a breath, and, eyes unwavering, said one sentence that froze the table. "Toran can see the white things."

Everyone but Ven and Nitu tensed with the words—even Chi and Shuay had to stifle gasps, and Nitu looked at them in confusion. Sora had asked him about the white things, but… what did everyone else know about them? What _were_ the white things? Did this mean that Toran _wasn't_ crazy?

A shiver ran down Nitu's back. _This must mean the white things are real._ And that the presence Nitu had felt at his mother's bedside _hadn't_ been his imagination.

Yen Sid stiffened. "Another one?" he said, eyebrows furrowing in thought. "And Likai is a light world…"

"Just like Jaya's world," Kairi murmured, and Shuay and Chi were exchanging glances—Nitu couldn't read their expressions.

Sora nodded, solemnly. Ven and he looked at each other briefly, and Sora plowed on. "Nitu's felt them too, but he hasn't seen them. From what he told me, Toran's been seeing them his whole life—and one of the white things was there the night his mother died, and Nitu felt it."

Shuay and Chi were staring at Nitu, not even trying to hide their curiosity and shock. "Your brother's seen the white things?" Chi whispered, eyes blown wide. Shuay hushed her and looked back at the Masters as Kairi spoke up, and Nitu clenched his fists. _What are these things? How do the Masters know about them?_

"Does that mean the white things were targeting them?" The red-haired Keybearer asked, voice concerned. "Jaya only began seeing them a year before we found her."

Sora shrugged, but said, "It occurs to me that they might be able to sense potential Keybearers."

"But we only have Jaya and Toran as examples of this," Aqua interjected, quietly, "We can't assume they're drawn to Keybearers."

"Still, twice could be more than coincidence." Kairi said.

"Did they ever attack Nitu or Toran?" Aqua asked. "Were they physical?"

Sora shook his head. "Not from what Nitu told me. From what he said, Nitu had never seen them at all, but the night when their mother died, he felt a presence." He looked down at the table. "'That shiver up your spine you get when someone's just behind you,' he said. And Toran could definitely see it, but I couldn't touch it. I saw it when he did, but it was gone when I looked back."

Aqua glanced at Ven, and the blond nodded, "I didn't see any of them, but I did feel a presence there… Something _empty_."

The Masters stilled, every eye on Ven. He'd shrunk in on himself slightly, and Terra grabbed his shoulder. "Like when Ora died?" Terra asked, in a gentle tone that Nitu hadn't known he was capable of.

If it weren't for the way the other Masters were so still themselves, Nitu wouldn't have seen Ven shiver just slightly, and nod.

"That makes three incidents with empty presences and Keybearers," Kairi said after a moment.

Riku glanced at her. "We still can't say anything for sure." He and Terra, although they hadn't said much, didn't look like they were too convinced about the white things, and Yen Sid was, as usual, unreadable behind his beard and perpetually grave eyes.

"Did you find anything in the library?" Sora looked at Aqua and Yen Sid. "We need information about these things."

Yen Sid cleared his throat, and everyone looked to him, his face still inscrutable and although serious, not overly concerned. "We cannot jump to any conclusions about any of this," he warned, "There's no evidence to support any of this conjecture about the white creatures. And nevertheless, we're not here to readdress that topic.

"Though I'm willing to accept the circumstances surrounding your decision, Sora," the offending Master snapped back into a straight posture, "It doesn't excuse your actions. We cannot throw our protocols out the window at the first sign of an abnormality, as you well know. I still expect a period of consideration before adopting new Keybearers."

"But, Grand Master, you can't deny that they could've been in danger there," Sora protested, "Who knows what would have happened if I'd left them there?"

Yen Sid opened his mouth to respond, but Ven hesitantly lifted a hand, "I have to take my share of the blame, Grand Master; I supported Sora in his decision, even though I didn't think it was right either. Maybe it was just me being too cautious, but any mention of the white things makes me want to be extra careful."

Maybe it was that Ven's interjection had been calmer and less confrontational than Sora's, but he seemed to accept the older Master's words more than Sora's. "Your motivations are understandable, both of you. As long as Nitu and Toran do not cause undue trouble here, I am not opposed to training them—however," Yen Sid cautioned, when Sora began to perk up, "This way of choosing new students is not to happen again. We have protocols for a reason. I expect you to set an example of obedience to the students in the future. And Toran and Nitu are _your_ responsibility, Sora, as any of your successors are."

Sora, slightly chagrined, nodded at the table. Yen Sid turned his gaze away, and the tension slightly dissipated as Riku nudged Sora good-naturedly with his elbow. The brown-haired Master looked up at his friend and shoved him back, and the air in the room lightened considerably. Shuay and Chi were still watching both him and the Masters with suspicion and interest, but the matter of the white things seemed closed for the moment, especially as the wide doors underneath Nitu swung open, spreading light across the room, and a tall, lanky figure strode in.

"My utmost apologies for my delayed arrival," came a cocky, rather carefree voice, and Nitu watched as a man with bright red hair slipped into one of the two empty chairs and smiled lazily at the group. "I did _try_ to get here on time this time, promise."

Sora and Ven rolled their eyes together. "Sure," Sora said. "I _did_ ," the man who must have been Master Lea protested, "But you know how it gets on some of those worlds. The young ladies get so frightened. And the kids always want autographs. I just couldn't get away."

Laughter ran around the table, and Shuay and Chi hid smiles too—Nitu couldn't really tell if Lea had been joking by his tone, but it seemed that this was usual behavior. Even Yen Sid looked a little less strict. "Welcome, Master Lea," he said, and dryly remarked, "I apologize that our meeting interrupted your necessary hero-worship."

Lea laughed, and inclined his head in a bow. "Aw, you're too kind, Grand Master. I assume you saved the most important bits until I got here?"

"You missed Sora getting reprimanded for bringing in two new kids without Grand Master permission," Riku quipped, and Lea looked dismayed. "Ah, man, the one thing I wish I'd been here for…"

Sora punched him, but they were both grinning.

"Was there another reason you called this meeting, besides Sora?" Ven butted in, and Sora looked offended and Lea laughed again.

Yen Sid nodded, and gestured to Terra, who sat up straighter, spreading his hands on the table to address them all. "I've been thinking about this for a while. Lea actually brought it up to me, off-hand, that we're spread pretty thin in patrols."

The Masters lost the air of levity left over from Lea's arrival, switching to something more business-like. Nitu noticed that Kairi was frowning, however.

Shuay nodded, and whispered to him and Chi, "I've seen their schedules in Master Aqua's office… Lea is patrolling every single day, and the other guys at least every other day." Chi pursed her lips. "Kairi almost never went on patrols when we joined," she said, for Nitu's benefit, "but she's been gone at least twice a week lately."

Looking back at the Masters, Nitu realized for the first time that Lea looked run-down, not just naturally thin, and that his movements coming into the room had been slow, tired. "He was with Master Mickey today, I think," Shuay said. Chi nudged Nitu and explained, "Every time they go on patrols, they have to go in groups of at least two, no matter what world they're going to."

"Especially with all our new students," Terra continued, "We need more manpower here than we do in the worlds. Heartless attacks are fewer and further between than ever before."

"What are you suggesting, Terra?" Aqua asked, her voice slightly hesitant.

Nitu wasn't quite sure why she sounded so serious, and why Kairi was silent, her eyebrows furrowed.

The next sentence came out quickly, like Terra expected protestations. "I think it's time we start patrolling alone instead of pairs."

Chi and Shuay looked shocked, but Nitu still didn't understand. Why would this be a big deal? He'd seen Sora's power when he'd saved Nitu from Heartless. Nitu didn't think that anything could take him down, and he wasn't even the oldest of the Masters…

But it seemed that there was a reason he wasn't privy to. Kairi snapped her head up, and said, "Not happening," and Aqua and Yen Sid exchanged glances, reserved.

"You know how dangerous going alone is, Terra, don't forget all the stuff that could've been avoided had you, Ven, and Aqua not been on your own back then," Kairi continued, and he, Ven, and Aqua flinched. Nitu realized, not for the first time, that they'd been doing this for a long time, and the scars the Masters had came from a past he still was ignorant of. "Sora never went off without Donald and Goofy, and Riku said he was much better off when he was with Mickey than by himself."

Terra held up his hand, face set, "I know, it could be dangerous, don't think I'm forgetting all the good reasons we have for patrolling in pairs. And I'm not saying we should handle confirmed Heartless sightings on our own or anything, we know that could be trouble."

Kairi looked like she was going to start protesting again, and Ven and Aqua didn't look convinced either, but Yen Sid broke in, "I too have thought deeply about this recently, Master Terra. I have reservations as well, even though we do need more attention on our students, we all know why we took journeymen out of the patrol rotation."

The room was gripped with silence again, the same one from when Ven had talked about the empty presences, and though Nitu didn't know the cause, he thought their faces are grieved. Had they lost someone? He opened his mouth to ask Chi, but Terra began again, voice softer, "I understand, Grand Master. I don't think we should lose our caution either, but the truth is we can't keep this pace up forever. Without bringing journeymen, we only have eight people patrolling how many worlds? Hundreds? And those are only the ones we frequent. We all know there are more out there that don't use magic or aren't connected to the Lanes."

"Then what _are_ you talking about?" Sora asked, and he didn't seem hesitant. He seemed to agree with Terra's words, just like Lea was nodding.

"Just for those worlds we know to be relatively safe." Terra ticked a few off his fingers. "Olympus Coliseum, Destiny Islands, Mysterious Tower, Disney Castle. The light worlds, the ones who haven't had attacks in years or have defenses of their own, like Radiant Garden—Leon and the others are still protecting the town. Those patrols are always relaxing, you guys know. For the dark worlds, or the ones where we sense Heartless, we'll still go with two. And as soon as anyone finds any trace of a threat, we'll call for backup. I don't want to take any more chances than we have to." Ven had lost some of his uncertainty, and like Riku, seemed to be warming to the idea.

"I think it's a good plan," Lea leaned in, "Patrols in Radiant Garden just turn into catch-up time with the Restoration Committee, and Donald and Goofy get so offended when we insist on patrolling their world."

"They certainly have it well in hand there," Sora grinned.

Terra nodded, spreading his hands. "The dark worlds, or the more prone to Heartless ones like Traverse Town, we should definitely still patrol in pairs. But I've done the math, and going alone to those few worlds where attacks are rare to nonexistent, and suddenly our schedules clear up a lot again."

Aqua still looked hesitant, and Kairi's expression had not changed, but the guys all seemed to support the idea. "We really do need more time to work with the journeymen, and you know Ani and Fara's class are ready for more one-on-one," Sora added.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Aqua said, her voice more serious than her expression. "I know we need the break, but there's a lot that could go wrong…"

Kairi nodded with her. "Weren't we just talking about the white things? We can't let our guard down."

Lea waved a hand—it seemed he was even less convinced than Terra or Riku had been about the white things being a danger. "I'm telling you, none of the dark worlds have _anything_ like those things Sora's described. I'm not convinced they're anything more than his" Lea tapped his knuckles on Sora's forehead, "imagination."

Sora turned to him, mouth open to protest, but Kairi overrode them both, "Heartless, then. They're at an all-time low, yeah, but they're not gone. Nitu was just attacked today! Sora, if you hadn't been there to save him, he and Toran would've _died_. I don't qualify _that_ as 'safer.'"

Riku put a hand on her arm to calm her, and some of the anger left her eyes, but not all of it. "Kai, I know you're worried," he said, and Sora stopped whacking Lea to look at her too, a reassuring smile on his face, "But when was the last time we were caught off guard on a patrol? Every Heartless swarm we've encountered since Aqua chose Jaya, what—a year ago?—" he turned to Aqua, who nodded, "We've been warned about by someone on the world in question. And the Heartless on Likai were the first we've seen on a light world in months."

Aqua conceded this, but Kairi still shook her head and pulled her arm from Riku's grasp. "But every time we let our guard down, something happens! Don't try to deny it," she pointed at Lea, who was about to say something, "I know Xehanort's gone, but who knows what else could happen. Every time we thought we were done fighting, _something_ else happened, _something_ else interrupted, _something_ else went wrong!" Nitu thought her voice sounded choked. He really needed to ask Shuay— _actually,_ Chi _, Shuay won't talk to me_ —about the Masters' backgrounds. He felt he was missing out on a lot of history.

Riku and Sora both looked like they were going to say something, but Yen Sid was the one to break the tension when it stretched. "Our reservations are clear," the Grand Master began, his own gaze unreadable, "But the benefits are tempting. As with all things, we shall leave this to a vote. I would just ask you all to remember just why we instituted group patrols _without_ journeymen in the first place."

The silence began again, this one subdued. Nitu glanced at Chi, and she, with a sad smile, whispered, "Several months ago, one of our journeymen, Ora, went with Ven on a routine patrol to a light world. He left her alone for a minute, and when he came back… she was dead."

Nitu blinked, in shock. Maybe the Land of Departure was permanently sunny, but the universe certainly wasn't. The untouchable, perfect ideal which had seemed to fill the very existence of the Keymasters and their school now was revealed to have a flaw.

"She was Ven's first successor," Shuay added, his voice even more flat than usual.

"And our friend," said Chi, her eyes falling to the floor of the vent.

Swallowing, Nitu glanced back at the Masters. Ven's reticence made sense, now. But what had killed her? White things? His blood ran cold at the thought. Did that mean his mom— _no,_ he wouldn't think of that.

Yen Sid allowed the moment to stretch, then raised his gaze from the table and looked at each of the Masters in turn. "Then, a vote."

Each of them looked back at him, varying levels of resolution on their faces.

"In favor of solo patrols?"

Lea's and Sora's hands flew into the air. Terra's gaze was unwavering as he too voted for his suggestion, and Ven raised his hand as well. Riku and Aqua exchanged a glance, but they both put their hands up—Aqua seemingly less convinced than Riku.

Glancing at Kairi, Nitu saw that the auburn-haired Keymaster was frowning, eyes carefully averted from Riku and Sora.

Yen Sid just raised an eyebrow, no real surprise in his face. "Against?"

His and Kairi's were the only hands to go up.

Shuay and Chi both looked shocked, and slightly unhappy.

Kairi's face was set in stone, but Nitu still didn't quite get it. Chi and Shuay were glancing at each other with something that might have been shock in their eyes. He really wanted to know what was going on, and thankfully Chi picked up on his confused look. She held a finger to her lips, though, because the room below was still deadly silent—Yen Sid and Kairi slowly lowered their hands, and Yen Sid took a long breath. It seemed that it was not often that Yen Sid was on the losing side of these votes, and some part of Nitu expected him to veto this—but to his surprise, nothing happened. After that moment of silence, Yen Sid looked around at the Masters gathered around the table, and nodded, once. "We shall decide which worlds are to be patrolled by one Master tomorrow, after morning classes," the Grand Master said, his voice free of inflection.

Nitu blinked. This man wasn't anything like the overbearing leaders Nitu was used to—a headsman or leader who didn't demand their way, who listened to majority vote? He hadn't met any leaders like that before. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, not with how unorthodox all the other Masters were, just how different this school was to anything Nitu had ever known. The room below seemed to take a breath with the Grand Master's words, and the glances exchanged around the table spoke of contentment. "Any other matters to discuss?" Yen Sid gathered their attentions back to him, but at the collective shake of everyone's heads, he spread his hands. "Then the meeting is dismissed. Master Ventus, if you could stay behind for just a moment, I've been reminded by the journeymen that there's a Glider race coming up?"

The Masters split, and Chi and Shuay began backing away as well, crawling as quietly as possible back towards the opening to the vent, whispering something he couldn't hear, but Nitu stayed where he was for a moment, as Ven and the Grand Master spoke, words he didn't care to make out.

There was another stained glass window in this room, next to the door which must have led to Yen Sid's study, and it painted the floor with squares of red and blue and green. It felt antique, untouchable. But there was a whisper in the back of his mind that if the white things worried someone as powerful as Sora, maybe this place wasn't as idyllic as it looked.

Nitu shimmied back, following the others. His stomach was tight with more than fear for the flight back to the dorms.

...

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 **A/N:** aaaah i actually kind of like this chapter but i have no time to talk finals are calling haha ha ha ha i'm dying

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thanks for reading, amici! happy holidays!

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idk when chp 5 will be out because, as mentioned above, i'm experiencing the hell that is finals rn and then i expect i'll need all of xmas break to recover soooo... we'll see. thanks for reading though, i super appreciate it because this fic is kind of my passion project and even though it may not get much notice I am very happy that some people are enjoying it :)

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come yell at me on tumblr, under the url literally-in-too-many-fandoms!

also posted on Archive of Our Own, under My5tic_Lali!


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